The obvious pain and tears that Cristian Romero could not hold back after a hard blow in the Premier League match against Sunderland set off alarm bells and worried his fans, Tottenham Hotspur, and the Argentine national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Early Monday morning, “Cuti” underwent an MRI, which confirmed that he has suffered an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. How does this affect Spurs and the Albiceleste?
Romero will face several weeks of recovery
In the 64th minute of the loss to Sunderland, Cristian attempted to clear a ball, but a shove from opposing forward Brian Brobbey caused a collision with his own goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky. Cuti was struck by his teammate’s head near his knee, leaving him lying on the ground and unable to continue the match.
After undergoing medical tests and as confirmed by the Argentine newspaper TyC Sports, the defender suffered a lateral ligament injury in his right leg, meaning he will face a recovery period that, under normal circumstances, ranges from six to eight weeks.
This is bittersweet news for the 27-year-old defender, who could have suffered an even more serious injury but will be forced to miss the rest of the season with Tottenham and help his teammates move away from the relegation zone. The Spurs remain in 18th place in the standings with 30 points, with just over a month left in the season, which concludes on May 24.
Fortunately for Argentina and Cuti himself, this injury won’t rule him out of the World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, and he should make it to the tournament just in time. Although he’ll arrive without match practice and will have to work against the clock to get into top shape, his spot on Scaloni’s roster isn’t in jeopardy.
Argentina will play two friendlies in June before kicking off its World Cup campaign: against Honduras on June 6 at Kyle Field and against Iceland on the 9th at Jordan-Hare Stadium. However, his participation in these matches will depend on his recovery, though he is not expected to be available.
Meanwhile, on June 16, the Albiceleste will make its tournament debut against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. Then, at Dallas Stadium, they will face Austria on Monday the 22nd and Jordan on Saturday the 27th.
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