Cristian Romero makes up with new signing Richarlison as Argentina and Brazil rivals put long-standing feud aside on first meeting at Spurs.
The Argentina centre-back was forced to make amends with the Brazil forward following years of rivalry after Tottenham struck a £60million deal with Everton.
In a video released by Spurs on social media, Romero approaches Richarlison in the canteen at Hotspur Way, presumably meeting him for the first time since the move.
A hug between the pair is met by cheers from the rest of the Tottenham squad – who were clearly aware of the previous bad blood between their teammates.
Eric Dier quickly went on his Instagram page to react to the awkward meeting between Romero and Richarlison.
Eric Dier on his Instagram.
Richarlison & Romero fued.
It started when the World Cup qualifier between the fierce South American rivals was suspended after Romero and three of his teammates were accused of violating COVID-19 restrictions.
Brazil’s national health surveillance agency ANVISA stormed the pitch alongside police and demanded immediate deportation for Romero, Giovani Lo Celso, Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez, insisting they had not completed the necessary 14 days of self-isolation. The match was duly cancelled after seven minutes and the Argentina squad flew home that night.
Following the chaotic events, Richarlison shared a post on Instagram which said: “Anvisa 1-0 Argentina.”
When the pairs met in the Premier League last season, Richarlison left Romero in a heap on the floor after a late challenge in the 0-0 draw between Everton and Tottenham in November 2021.
😜 25% of the bookings Cristian Romero received in the Premier League last season were for fouls on Richarlison, carded home and away vs Everton pic.twitter.com/WRd1i6Au5g
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 30, 2022
That match would see tension between the pair boil over and both players were booked for a heated face-to-face confrontation, which ended with Richarlison rolling around on the floor.
Romero, however, would have the last laugh during Tottenham’s 5-0 victory over Everton in March 2022.
With Spurs already 2-0 up in the early stages of the match, Romero brought down Richarlison with a reckless sliding tackle, so late the Argentine was lucky to escape with just a yellow card.
And Romero’s Instagram post afterwards suggested it was a successful shot at revenge.
He shared a personalised image, not one tweeted out by the club, of Richarlison on the floor with the 5-0 score-line.