“If they didn’t have Lionel Messi…”: Gary Neville fires back at Martinez and Romero as World Cup row heats up

Gary Neville has doubled down on his criticism of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez as a row threatens to break out between the two. “The best worst centre-halves in the world” When Neville was analysing Argentina’s performance at the World Cup in the lead-up to last night’s semi-final clash with England, the former United captain pointed out Martinez and his centre-back partner, Cristian Romero, as two potential issues. Citing the dramatic 3-2 wins over Egypt and Cape Verde – two countries La Albiceleste were expected to comfortably beat – Neville claimed both defenders could be “ridiculous” at times. “They seem to give a goal away between them every single game,” the 51-year-old said. “But you watch them, they are scoring goals, heading the ball, they’re literally everywhere – it’s incredible. “I call them the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world. Because they absolutely at times can be unbelievable, but the next, it’s the sublime to the ridiculous.” With a chance to stick the knife in as revenge following Argentina’s win over England, another last-gasp victory, both Martinez and Romero fired back at Neville’s critique. Martinez stated he was “used to” pundits like Neville “always talking about us”, while Romero – never one to offer a measured response in any scenario – branded the United legend “stupid”. “The only thing I hope is that when I retire, I won’t be so stupid. It’s down to me, but I hope I don’t end up criticising a player or anyone else because, at the end of the day, you go out there to do your best for your club and the national team,” the Tottenham Hotspur captain stated. Neville doesn’t back down Earlier today, Neville was asked for his response on Sky Sports, opting to reaffirm his position with conviction by referencing how it is easy to win with the greatest player in the history of football in your team. “If they didn’t have Lionel Messi up front… those two should go and hug him every single minute of every single day because he’s had to pull them out of the mire. They conceded two against Egypt and two against Cape Verde, one against Switzerland and one against England, so they’ve conceded six goals in the knockout phase,” he opined. “Romero played in a team [Tottenham Hotspur] last year that nearly went down and got relegated in the Premier League, conceding 65 goals, so I think I know what I’m talking about when I watch a player. He’s very talented, as is Lisandro Martinez, but they do make mistakes, lots of them, and they have conceded goals. “But they are a force of nature, they have incredible personalities, they go and win every header in the attacking box and sometimes in the defensive box and I just see such a contradiction in games.” Final Thoughts With Argentina on the verge of becoming the first country in sixty-four years to defend their World Cup title in the final against Spain on Sunday, Neville’s assessment that Martinez and Romero have “mistakes” in them could be decisive – or leave the Englishman with egg on his face as the pair lift the trophy in New York. Lisandro Martinez: 2026 FIFA World Cup Stats StageDateOpponentResultPositionGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Group J17/06/26Algeria3–0CB—-90′ Group J22/06/26Austria2–0CB—-90′ Group J28/06/26Jordan3–1On the bench—– Round of 3204/07/26Cape Verde3–2 AETCB11–120′ Round of 1607/07/26Egypt3–2CB—-90′ Quarter-finals12/07/26Switzerland3–1 AETCB—-120′ Semi-finals16/07/26England2–1CB–1-72′ Source: Transfermarkt. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Darragh Fox Darragh is an editor for The Peoples Person who spent three years learning about the Cold War at the University of Sheffield slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about. Amad’s first touch should be officially recognised as the eighth wonder of the world.