"He has a lot of personality and leadership qualities, and we need him just as you see him. He came here to be important to the club and the team." Diego Simeone said that about Cristian Romero, and it lands differently after the defender's spell at Atletico Madrid. He was sent off six times across all competitions since his Tottenham Hotspur debut in August 2021, more than any other Premier League player in that period. Yet the version Atletico now rely on is one Simeone describes as important, committed and central to the team.

Simeone's read on Romero

Simeone's praise has been specific. He called Romero a player with "leadership, strength, quality, authority, commitment, and a sense of belonging over time", adding that he is "a player with all the values that identify him with Atletico Madrid." That is a big shift from the English verdicts that followed him around at Tottenham, where Stuart Pearce said, "If I was a chief scout sent to watch Romero, I would identify him as a weakness." Paul Scholes went the other way on the player, if not the chaos, saying, "I know it might sound stupid, but I just think... I like him. I think he's a nutcase."

Romero has backed up the change in tone with a first Atletico goal, the winner against Alaves at the weekend. It was his first goal for the club. Across the available 2026 samples, he has 13 appearances and 2 goals, and his average rating sits at 7.16. Atletico have also taken 7 of their 19 goals this season from defenders, which fits the way Simeone wants his side to carry threat from the back.

The Manchester United reunion

The meeting with Manchester United revives an old fault line. Romero was sent off after 29 minutes in an eventual 2-0 defeat against United in February, and he is set to face Harry Maguire in Madrid on Tuesday night after years of tension between them. United arrive 13th in the Premier League with 6 points from 6 matches, so the fixture is more than a reunion with an old rival. It is another test of whether the player once framed as a liability has become the defender Simeone trusts most.

Romero's latest chapter is less about the old noise and more about what Atletico are getting now. He is still the same aggressive centre-back, but the club are treating that edge as part of the package, not the problem. Tuesday night in Madrid will show whether that read still holds.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →