Romero Responds to Courtois' World Cup Prediction

Argentina defender Cristian Romero has responded to Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who claimed that the winner of the 2026 World Cup would be decided in the semi-final clash between France and Spain. Romero dismissed the comment, stating, "We don't listen to what one player thinks."

“We are focused on tomorrow; it will be tough, and we don't pay attention to what one player thinks. Everyone has their own opinion, their own way of thinking, but we are concentrated on tomorrow's match,” the defender asserted.

Furthermore, when asked about his goal against Egypt in the round of 16, which sparked the "Albiceleste's" comeback, he joked: "Pushing up as a number nine was an impulse; these are situations the game leads you to when you're 2-0 down. It wasn't an instruction from the coaching staff. If Scaloni had seen me, he would have killed me. It's always nice to score, but our job is to keep a clean sheet. I'm happy if I can help in attack, but our primary role is to defend."

Despite this, the Tottenham player was self-critical about the four goals the "Albiceleste" conceded in their two knockout matches – two against Cape Verde and two against the Egyptians: “We are doing well, but we need to improve because we’ve conceded four goals in the last two games, and it annoys us when we concede. We are always available for the team and for whatever the coach decides. Everyone is in good form.”

Finally, regarding the upcoming quarter-final clash against Switzerland on Saturday at 10:00 PM in Kansas City, he predicted: “All matches are difficult for us; tomorrow will be complicated. Switzerland didn't make it easy for Colombia and even dominated. It will be a good match; they have important players.”