Center-back Cristian Romero has suffered an injury recurrence and is at risk of missing upcoming matches following Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria in Group J of the 2026 World Cup in the early hours of June 23.
The incident occurred at the beginning of the second half at the Dallas stadium (USA). After a heavy collision with Marcel Sabitzer, Romero appeared to be in pain and immediately clutched his right knee area, the exact spot that had caused him a lot of trouble ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Instantly, coach Lionel Scaloni asked Nicolas Otamendi to warm up to prepare for a substitution.
According to TyC Sports, although Romero signaled to the coaching staff that he could still continue playing, coach Scaloni did not want to take any risks. The Argentine manager decided to substitute the Tottenham center-back to avoid the risk of the injury becoming more severe. On the bench, Romero had ice applied to his right knee and continued to be monitored by the doctors.
The right knee area had previously forced Romero to miss many matches for Tottenham. Before the 2026 World Cup, the Argentine international suffered a lateral collateral ligament injury in his knee after a collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky himself during a Premier League match. At that time, he left the pitch in tears and raised major concerns for both his club and the national team.
The 2025/26 season was also a turbulent time for Romero as he struggled with issues in his thigh, ankle, foot, groin, and head area. In total, the center-back missed 10 matches due to injury and another 6 due to suspension. Therefore, any sign of trouble from Romero at this moment makes the Argentine coaching staff anxious.
At the 2026 World Cup, coach Scaloni prioritizes using the center-back pairing of Romero and Lisandro Martinez. If Romero is absent, there is a high probability that Otamendi will be given a starting spot in the upcoming matches.
