Cristian Romero's World Cup debut lasted a total of 59 minutes as Argentina started their campaign with a shock 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia. Missing six of Tottenham's last seven games through a muscle fatigue problem, the defender made his return to the pitch after plenty of talk regarding his fitness ahead of the tournament.
Only featuring in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Sporting CP in the Champions League from their final seven games ahead of the World Cup, Romero was always expected to take his place back in the Argentina team in their first Group C fixture despite his lack of minutes. The centre-back's absence was a major topic of discussion amongst Spurs fans ahead of the World Cup, with many believing that he was saving himself for the World Cup rather than looking to get back on the pitch as soon as possible for his club.
Images of Romero in Argentina training a day after Spurs' late 4-3 win over Leeds United only intensified the talk surrounding him. Named in Lionel Scaloni's XI to take on Saudi Arabia as expected, the ex-Atalanta man lined up as part of a back four and showed no sign of his recent injury issue early on.
