Whenever Cristian Romero lines up against Manchester United, fireworks are never too far away.
It was in Bilbao when Romero got into a verbal altercation with Harry Maguire, a player he has clashed with for years, following the final whistle on a night where Tottenham Hotspur ended their trophy drought to win the Europa League.
It was six months later when Romero was chastised on the radio by Stuart Pearce for being ‘horrific’ after a 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Then in February, four games into Carrick’s return to United, Romero was jeered off the pitch after being sent off 29 minutes into an eventual 2-0 defeat.
And yet over in Spain, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was unmoved in his stance that acquiring Romero was of critical importance. For a manager who believes defence is the best form of attack, many in England scoffed at the idea of Romero proving a net-positive in Madrid.
But he is. He scored his first goal at the weekend, has transformed into the leader of this side, and is the player and character Simeone has spent two years pursuing.
Cristian Romero was an imperfect ‘nutcase’ at Spurs, but is shining at Atletico Madrid
The last time he faced Man United back in February, Romero was sent off after just 29 minutes
‘He has a lot of personality and leadership qualities, and we need him just as you see him. He came here to be important to the club and the team,’ Simeone said back in September.
Asked of his specific qualities, the list went on and on: ‘Leadership, strength, quality, authority, commitment, and a sense of belonging over time. He’s a player with all the values that identify him with Atletico Madrid.’
And therein lies the chasm between Romero’s reputation in England and his reputation outside of it.
Here, on these shores, he was widely ridiculed, described routinely as a weakness, a hot-head, a ‘nutcase’ even.
‘If I was a chief scout sent to watch Romero, I would identify him as a weakness,’ Pearce told talkSPORT last year after the 2-2 draw against United.
‘You can certainly get in behind him. And if I was sent on behalf of recruitment, I would say, “Leave him where he is!”‘
A player that was sent off six times across all competitions since his Tottenham Hotspur debut in August 2021 – more than any other player in the Premier League in that period.
A player that, by the end, was being called on to be stripped of the captaincy.
By the time he left for the continent, there was little more than a shrug of the shoulders.
But in Spain, and in Argentina where he is now the national team’s captain following the retirement of Lionel Messi, he’s strong, determined, fearless, a threat, an asset.
He’s a player they want to build a back line around, something United legend Paul Scholes actually made the case for; a rationale few in English football, least of all senior figures at United, wanted to entertain.
He has had a long battle with Harry Maguire, and they will face off in Madrid on Tuesday night
Tensions boiled over and the pair had to be separated in Bilbao at the 2025 Europa League final
‘I know it might sound stupid, but I just think… I like him. I think he’s a nutcase,’ Scholes said on his ‘The Good, The Bad, & The Football‘ podcast.
‘He’s a very good defender that does some stupid things. He is an absolute clown.
‘But I think if someone could get hold of him, like Michael Carrick, who is very calm and relaxed, he might be able to (help him). He seems like a bit of a cult hero defender, really. I know it might sound strange, but I think the fans at Old Trafford would like him.’
Then, naturally, reports surfaced claiming interest from United. A default rule inside United is not to get drawn into every single transfer link – there are too many in a day to spend all afternoon refuting them.
But Romero was different. United wanted it out there that they had no interest in acquiring Romero. He won’t have forgotten.
He won’t have forgotten, too, what another United legend previously said about him, when Gary Neville described Romero and United’s Lisandro Martinez as ‘the best, worst centre half pairing in the world’.
‘The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid,’ Romero shot back during the World Cup. ‘Hopefully I won’t criticise a player or anyone.’
His winning goal to beat Alaves at the weekend not only opened his account as a scorer for Atletico but also continued the trend of defence being their best attack.
Romero’s finish means that seven of the 19 goals scored by Atletico this season (37 per cent) have come from one of their defenders.
He’s viewed differently in Spain. Seen under a different lens that will re-focus on him when United and English eyes are in town.
Romero won’t have a recognised striker to contend with as Benjamin Sesko remains sidelined. The pace and trickery of Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo has previously caused him plenty of problems.
Romero has scored his first Atletico goal and is the embodiment of manager Diego Simeone
But a lot of the issues between Romero and United have come down to ill-discipline, red rag to a bull sort of volatility that has cost his side, just as it did in his last match-up against them.
Simeone builds teams to play on the edge, that’s part of the appeal as to why they have been so good under his watch, and Romero, when on the right side of the line, fits like a glove.
Now the onus is on Romero to show he’s turned a page and isn’t the player that was widely derided in England.
‘I know I wasn’t perfect,’ he said upon leaving Tottenham in the summer, ‘but one thing gives me peace: I always gave everything.
‘I defended this shirt with pride and with all my heart.’
Commitment won’t be lacking when he lines up against Manchester United at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday night… but for his and Simeone’s sake, he needs to keep a lid on the fireworks.
