 Romero withArgentina at the2022 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cristian Gabriel Romero[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1998-04-27)27 April 1998 (age 27)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Córdoba, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Tottenham Hotspur | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Belgrano | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Belgrano | 16 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Genoa | 27 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Juventus | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | →Genoa (loan) | 30 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Atalanta (loan) | 31 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Atalanta | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 22 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Tottenham Hotspur | 88 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Argentina U20 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Argentina | 47 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:42, 23 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cristian Gabriel Romero (born 27 April 1998)[2] is an Argentine professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur, which he captains, and theArgentina national team.
Coming through the youth system, Romero began his senior career in 2016 atBelgrano. He moved to Italy in 2018, playing forGenoa. Romero was purchased byJuventus the following season; he was sent back on loan to Genoa before being sent on loan toAtalanta in 2020. After being nominatedSerie A Best Defender in2020–21 with Atalanta, the club exercised the option of purchase before promptly loaning Romero to Tottenham with an obligation to buy. After a successful loan spell, Romero was signed by Tottenham in 2022, where he won the2024–25 UEFA Europa League.
Romero represented Argentina at theyouth level at the2017 South American U-20 Championship. He made his senior debut in 2021 and was a key member of the squads that won the2021 Copa América,2022 FIFA World Cup, and2024 Copa América.
Having joined the youth team in 2014,[3] Romero was promoted toArgentine Primera División sideBelgrano's first team in 2016;[4] his debut came on 28 August, in a league match withIndependiente.[5] One month later, Romero played in both of Belgrano's2016 Copa Sudamericana round of 16 draws againstCoritiba.[5] In two seasons with Belgrano's first-team, he made nineteen appearances in all competitions.[5]
In July 2018, Romero joinedGenoa ofSerie A.[6] He scored his first senior goal in his second Genoa match, netting in a 2–2 draw withUdinese on 28 October, only to be sent off later.[5]
On 9 July 2019,Juventus announced Romero was having a medical ahead of a requested transfer.[7]
On 12 July 2019, Juventus announced the permanent acquisition of Romero from Genoa for €26 million, with the player remaining at his former club on loan for the rest of the season.[8]
On 5 September 2020, Romero joinedAtalanta on loan until 30 June 2022 with an option to buy.[9] He was elected the best defender of the2020–21 Serie A season.[10]
On 6 August 2021, Juventus announced that Atalanta had activated the option to sign Romero for €16 million.[11] Later that day,Premier League clubTottenham Hotspur announced his signing from Atalanta on an initial season-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent.[10][12]
Romero debuted for the club on 15 August, coming on as a late substitute forPierre-Emile Højbjerg in a match againstManchester City that Tottenham won 1–0.[13] On 19 August 2021, he made his first start in theUEFA Europa Conference League first leg tie againstPaços de Ferreira, which ended in a 1–0 defeat.[14] Romero scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 2–0 victory overBrighton & Hove Albion. On 30 August 2022, he signed for Tottenham permanently with a contract lasting until 2027.[15]
Ahead of the2023–24 Premier League season, Romero was named as one of Tottenham's vice-captains.[16] He made a strong start to the season, being described by managerAnge Postecoglou as the "rock" in Tottenham's defence, and earning a nomination for the Player of the Month award in October.[17][18] However, on 6 November 2023, Romero was shown a straight red card during Tottenham's 4–1 loss to rivalsChelsea.[19] It was his fourth red card since moving to the Premier League, more than any other player in that time.[20] Romero scored on his return from suspension, Tottenham's only goal in a 2–1 loss toWest Ham United.[21]
Romero played the entire2025 UEFA Europa League final, securing a 1–0 win againstManchester United. He was awarded Player of the Match for his performance, winning his first club honour and Tottenham Hotspur's first major trophy in17 years and their first European trophy in41 years.[22]
Ahead of the2025–26 Premier League season, Romero was named Tottenham captain by new Spurs managerThomas Frank after the departure ofSon Heung-min.[23] Shortly after being named captain Romero renewed his Tottenham contract until 2029.[24]
Romero has represented Argentina at theU20 level, winning seven caps at the2017 South American U-20 Championship in Ecuador.[5] In April 2017, he was called up for Argentina's training camp ahead of the2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea but was not selected on the tournament squad list.[25] Romero was called up for theU23s in September 2019.[26]
On 3 June 2021, Romero debuted for thesenior national team aWorld Cup qualifier againstChile, playing the full match.[27] In his second game for Argentina on 8 June, he scored his first international goal, coming from a thumping header againstColombia after only 130 seconds. This goal also broke the record for the fastest ever scored for Argentina in a professional match, surpassingDiego Maradona's goal after 168 seconds againstVenezuela in 1985.[28]
In June 2021, Romero was included inLionel Scaloni's final Argentina 28-man squad for the2021 Copa América[29] and the Team of the Tournament at the end as Argentina won the competition.[30] Romero was also an integral part of the Argentinian team which won the2022 FIFA World Cup, in which he started in six out of seven matches including the final.[31]
In June 2024, Romero was included in Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the2024 Copa América.[32]
Romero has been described as a "proactive" defender always playing on the "front foot." This allows him to step up in the backline and make crucial interceptions in midfield. He is well known for his decision-making in his risky style of play. Romero is also known for his exceptional ability in the air and is adept at scoring headers in the box.[33]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Belgrano | 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Genoa (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 2 | |||
| 2019–20 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 57 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 60 | 3 | |||||
| Atalanta (loan) | 2020–21 | Serie A | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 1 | — | 42 | 3 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 2021–22 | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2022–23 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 5 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[f] | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2025–26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 1[g] | 1 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Tottenham total | 110 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 214 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 258 | 14 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2021 | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 2021 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez,Barranquilla, Colombia |  Colombia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 June 2023 | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium,Jakarta, Indonesia |  Indonesia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 22 March 2024 | Lincoln Financial Field,Philadelphia, United States |  El Salvador | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Tottenham Hotspur
Argentina
Individual
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