Argentina's Cristian Romero believes Gary Neville was "so stupid" to criticise him and his fellow centre-back Lisandro Martínez.
The former England right-back and TV pundit labelled Tottenham's Romero and Manchester United's Martínez as "the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world" ahead of Argentina's 2-1 win over England in Wednesday's World Cup semifinal.
"The only thing I hope for when I retire is not to be so stupid," Romero told DSport after the game when asked about Neville's remarks on the Overlap podcast.
"I hope that when I retire in the future, hopefully I won't end up criticising a player or criticising anyone, because at the end of the day you go out there to do your best for your team and your national side. It might turn out well or it might not."
Martínez, meanwhile, said Neville's comments did not affect them as they both helped Argentina limit England to just two shots on target.
"We're used to people always talking about us," he said. "It seems that they like to talk about us, and we just respond on the pitch -- always with respect."
The two have started in all but one -- a 3-1 win over Jordan -- of Argentina's games in this tournament.
With Romero and Martínez on the pitch, the Albiceleste have conceded six goals in six games, a point that Neville was keen to stress.
"They seem to give a goal away between them every single game," Neville, who made 85 appearances for England, said. "But you watch them, they are scoring goals, heading the ball, they're literally everywhere -- it's incredible. I call them the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world. Because they absolutely at times can be unbelievable, but the next, it's the sublime to the ridiculous."
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Martínez and Romero are expected to start on Sunday when they take on Spain in the final in New Jersey.
Both players were part of the Argentina teams that won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa Americas (2021, 2024).
"We're delighted to be in a World Cup final again and I think we're making history," Romero said. "For us, it's a huge deal. We feel the shirt like no one else does."
