Lionel Messi fell in love with Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero over the summer – and that played a role in the current Argentina fiasco.
The Athletic claim that Messi was wowed by Romero during Copa America, as he starred at centre back during Argentina’s run to the trophy.
Messi even wanted Barcelona to sign Romero, but Tottenham moved in to land him before Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.
The report notes that the bond between Messi and his Argentina teammates, including Romero, is so strong that players were willing to flout rules to play with him.
Romero joined Tottenham teammate Giovani Lo Celso in defying pandemic restrictions to go and play for Argentina over the international break.
Aston Villa duo Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia did the same, and the quartet were at the heart of a ridiculous situation on Sunday.
Argentina were supposed to play Brazil on Sunday, but health officials stormed the pitch to try and deport the four players for not following COVID regulations.
The players seemingly knew the risks, but were adamant that they wanted to play and help Messi reach the World Cup next year – potentially his final World Cup campaign ever.
It’s great that Messi, arguably the greatest player we will ever see, thinks so highly of Romero, but whether Tottenham fans see this bond as reason controversially enough to jet off to South America remains to be seen.
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