Cristian Romero ruled out for the season following injury
Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after suffering a partial tear to his medial cruciate ligament during Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Sunderland, reports BritPanorama.
The 27-year-old Argentine sustained the injury in an unfortunate collision with his goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, at the Stadium of Light. This incident occurred with approximately 20 minutes remaining in the match when Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey pushed Romero into Kinsky, causing the defender to jar his knee awkwardly. Medical staff attended to the Spurs captain on the pitch for eight minutes before it became clear he could not continue.
Romero will require a minimum of six weeks to recover, meaning his season at club level is effectively over, with the Premier League campaign concluding next month on May 24. Although surgery will not be necessary, he has avoided a complete ligament rupture, yet the timeline casts doubt over his participation in Argentina’s World Cup defence.
The injury now places Romero’s participation in Argentina’s title defence, which begins on June 16 against Algeria, in serious jeopardy. Reports suggesting he will return in time for the tournament are understood to not be entirely accurate, casting further doubt over his international prospects this summer.
Following the match, Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi expressed concern, stating, “I hope for us it’s not too important a problem, because he’s a crucial player for us, he’s a good guy, good player, top player, big personality and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal.” Losing Romero represents another significant setback for De Zerbi, who has already seen Mohammed Kudus suffer a fresh quad injury. Tottenham now sits in 18th position and is two points from safety with just six matches remaining.
The distressing scenes following the injury initially led many observers to assume his tears were connected to Tottenham’s worsening relegation predicament. Romero has been a cornerstone of the defence during Argentina’s most successful period in decades, featuring 32 times for Spurs this season, with six goals and three assists across all competitions. He has also earned 49 caps for the Argentina national team and scored three goals as of April 2026.
This latest injury means Tottenham must navigate their remaining fixtures without one of their key players, a situation that could have lasting repercussions for both club and country as the World Cup draws nearer.
