Argentina defender Cristian Romero has launched a scathing reply to Gary Neville, stating that he hopes he does not become “that stupid” when he finally hangs up his boots.

The explosive remarks from the Tottenham Hotspur centre-back came immediately after Argentina secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over England in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta.

While speaking on the football show The Overlap, former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville took a jab at the Argentine central defensive partnership of Romero and Lisandro Martinez, labelling them “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world”.

Neville, who regularly watches both players in the English Premier League as a television pundit, claimed that the duo “seem to give a goal away between them every single game” at club level. However, he did acknowledge their contrasting form for the national team, noting that they are “literally everywhere” when playing for Argentina, moving from the “sublime to the ridiculous”.

Romero and Martinez blast Gary Neville

The comments did not sit well with the Argentine camp. Speaking to broadcaster DSports after knocking England out, a fired-up Romero did not hold back.

“The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid. Hopefully, I won’t criticise a player or anyone,” Romero said.

“Because at the end of the day, we are doing our best for our national team. Sometimes it goes right for us, sometimes badly, but we are just happy to be in a World Cup final again.”

The defender further added that the current squad is focused on making history, stating that they feel the significance of the national jersey like no one else.

His defensive partner, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, took a slightly calmer but equally firm stance against the British punditry circle. Martinez mentioned that the team is completely used to people talking about them constantly. He added that the players prefer to let their football do the talking on the pitch, always maintaining their respect.

With the dramatic victory over England settled, Argentina now shifts its focus to the grand finale. They are scheduled to face Spain at the MetLife Stadium this Sunday, standing on the threshold of becoming only the third team in football history to win consecutive World Cup trophies.