Cristian Romero has left Tottenham behind, but he hasn’t forgotten the centre-back who stood next to him. The Argentine has named Micky van de Ven as the team-mate who “elevated” him in north London.
After a drawn-out transfer saga, Romero left Spurs in the summer to join Atletico Madrid. Barcelona and Inter Milan were also in the running for his signature, but he eventually chose Diego Simeone’s side.
He was a fan favourite for a large part of his time at Tottenham, though his relationship with the supporters soured towards the back end of last season because of his actions. Even so, when he spoke about his old club this week, the praise was all for one man: Micky van de Ven.
What did Cristian Romero say about Micky van de Ven?
Speaking via Gaston Edul, Romero did not hold back. “At the club level, at Tottenham, I got to share a lot with Micky van de Ven and I feel that it was impressive,” he said.
“He is an incredible player and he has everything. I think obviously it will depend on him, because he is young, where and what he wants to do for his career because he has it all.”
“He has speed, he plays the ball”
Romero then ran through the full list. “He has speed, he plays the ball, he is fast, he defends well, defends high, plays well with his feet, is technical,” he added.
The bit that will stick with Spurs fans came next. “Truthfully at club level, I feel he has been a team-mate that understood me very well from day one and who elevated me, I elevated him and I also have a very good relationship (with him). He’s a very good centre-back.”
Van de Ven and Romero: the partnership that won a trophy
When the pair were fit and firing, they forged a fantastic partnership, and it helped Tottenham win the UEFA Europa League. That’s the context for Romero’s words. This wasn’t a polite nod to an old colleague, it was one half of a trophy-winning pairing talking about the other.
Romero’s exit was rather unceremonious, to say the least, but Spurs have moved on well. Jan Paul van Hecke has taken his place at the heart of the backline, and the centre-back pairings have rotated around him and Van de Ven this season. That defence has just helped Spurs to a 2-0 win over Chelsea, which brought the club’s first clean sheet in a win at Stamford Bridge since 1986.
Is Micky van de Ven now the leader of this Spurs defence?
Romero’s line about the future is the interesting one. “It will depend on him” leaves the door open on where his career goes next, and that’s exactly why Van de Ven matters so much to Spurs right now.
For me, the captain’s armband suits him. The Romero era ended on a sour note, and the club needed a defender who sets the standard rather than the headlines. Van de Ven has the pace and the ball-playing quality Romero listed, and alongside Van Hecke he’s giving Roberto De Zerbi a back line he can build on. When the man who left calls you a player who “has it all”, N17 should be doing everything it can to keep him.
