Do Tottenham Hotspur have one of, if not the best centre-half in the world right now? Quite possibly, and here’s everything you need to know about Cristian Romero.
Since joining Spurs in 2021, the fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have seen the best and the worst of Cristian Romero; from commanding and composed defending, to wildly erratic behaviour.
He’s calmed down a lot of late, though, and is earning praise across the world for his performances at club level, and in particular at international level.
Romero is a key figure in Ange Postecoglou‘s squad, so it’s important we learn everything we can about the Argentina star. Time for a look at his career to date, how much Romero is worth, and what his nickname is all about.
Tottenham’s vice-captain and star defender
Romero joined Tottenham on loan from Atalanta for the 2021/22 season and proved to be a revelation. The club made the move permanent the following summer.
He very quickly showcased his brilliant defensive awareness and fans fell in love with his highly passionate displays. However, Romero’s rash tackling and overzealous approach sometimes landed him in hot water, with ill discipline a real issue across his first two years with the club, having picked up four red cards.
Since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, and the addition of Micky van de Ven in the defence next to him, however, Romero has calmed down a lot and is now very rarely in trouble with the referees. He has also added goals to his game, and was one of the top-scoring centre-halves of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Romero was appointed one of Postecoglou‘s vice-captains last summer, and judging by the way things are handled when Heung-min Son leaves the field of play, it would seem the Argentinian is first in line within the Spurs first-team squad before fellow vice-captain, James Maddison.
Where has Cristian Romero played before?
Romero has had a rather complex journey to get to the Premier League, but has spent a lot of his career in Italy with clubs such as Atalanta, Juventus, and Genoa.
He began his career in his homeland, with Argentina outfit Belgrano. Romero then moved to Genoa in 2018, before sealing a transfer to Juventus a year later, but he was loaned straight back to his former club for the 2019/20 season.
Romero went on loan to Atalanta for the 2020/21 season and made that move permanent in August 2021, before being loaned to Spurs.
So, Romero never actually made an appearance for Juventus, but he played over 100 times in Serie A for Genoa and Atalanta, where he caught the eye of Fabio Paratici who snapped him up for the Lilywhites.
What is Cristian Romero’s market value?
Cristian Romero is apparently worth around £55m based on market value, but Tottenham Hotspur would very likely put a much higher price tag around his neck.
That value comes from Transfermarkt, but reports over the summer claimed that Spurs were demanding around £150m for Romero after Real Madrid showed an interest in the defender.
In terms of his contract, Romero currently earns £165,000 per week or £8.58m per year (according to Spotrac), making him Tottenham’s third highest earner behind James Maddison and Heung-min Son.
His current deal runs to 2027, but there is talk of Spurs looking to tie Romero down with a new contract that would make him the club’s highest earner which would likely see the 26-year-old earning at least £200,000 per week.
Romero’s Cuti nickname explained
You may have seen Cristian Romero referred to as Cuti, with Spurs and Argentina players often using the nickname. Turns out, that name originates from Romero’s sister and their childhood together.
An article from The Athletic previously revealed the source of this nickname, explaining that Romero was unable to say Cristian as a child, so his sister, Aldana, shortened it to Cuti to make it easier for him.
Though we’re sure he can now say his own name, Romero has kept using the nickname and even has it in his social media handles.
What awards has Cristian Romero won?
Since establishing himself as part of the Argentina setup, Cristian Romero has won everything going, including the World Cup, the Copa America, and the CONMEBOL UEFA Cup of Champions trophy.
Romero made his Argentina debut in June 2021, with a double-header of World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia. He scored against the latter to get his international career off to a great start.
Despite a couple of injuries that summer, Romero played a part in Argentina’s Copa America win, including helping his side keep a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Brazil in the final.
Argentina won the CONMEBOL Champions title in January 2022, with Romero playing 85 minutes of the game against Italy, where his country won 3-0.
His crowning moment, however, came in the World Cup of 2022. After a shaky start in the opening group game against Saudi Arabia, Romero was dropped to the bench. He made an impressive cameo appearance in the next group game, though, and didn’t look back.
Romero played every game for Argentina in the tournament, including a standout performance in the final, where he managed to keep Kylian Mbappe at bay.
Argentina also retained the Copa America title this summer, with Romero playing every minute of five of the six matches along the way.
Cristian Romero’s personal information and family life
Romero was born in Cordoba, Argentina, on April 27, 1998. He is 1.85m tall, and weighs 78kg.
His full name is Cristian Gabriel Romero. He is married to Karen Cavaller, and they have one child together: a son named Valentino.
Romero has five million followers on Instagram, and over 300,000 followers on x
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