The mood in the visitor’s locker room at the Stadium of Light was heavy Sunday afternoon. Cristian Romero, usually the bedrock of the defense, had to be pulled from the match against Sunderland after a nasty collision with his own keeper, Antonín Kinsky. You could hear the muffled thud of the impact from the press box—it was that loud.
He was visibly devastated, practically sobbing as he hobbled off the pitch. He didn’t need a stretcher, which is good, I guess—or maybe that doesn’t actually mean anything at this stage. It’s the kind of moment that ruins a season.
According to Misryoum reporting, the situation is delicate. New manager Roberto De Zerbi admitted it looks “very bad” but kept his cards close to the vest regarding the actual severity. They need him. Spurs are currently sitting in 18th, drowning in the relegation zone with just six games left. It’s a mess.
But the reach of this injury goes way beyond North London. The real panic is probably happening in Buenos Aires. With the World Cup kicking off in June, Argentina is sweating over one of their key defenders. Lionel Scaloni needs his backline set, and Romero is central to that plan—or he was, until this.
De Zerbi told the Misryoum editorial team that they’ll know more in a few days. We’re all just waiting, really. It’s just brutal timing for a player who’s been so consistent.
For now, Spurs have to figure out how to climb out of the basement without their best guy, while Argentina keeps its fingers crossed for a miracle recovery. The clock is ticking toward that June 16 opener against Algeria in Kansas City. I’m not sure they have a backup plan that works quite as well as Romero does. We’ll see.