Tottenham summer signing Cristian Romero draws praise from Brazil legend Cafu

Cristian Romero joined Tottenham from Atalanta this summer for £42.5million after he was crowned Serie A Best Defender last season and won the Copa America with Argentina this summer

Brazil hero Cafu has picked out Tottenham stalwart Cristian Romero for praise as the 23-year-old continues to earn new admirers.

Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta this summer for a fee of £42.5million after he was crowned Serie A Best Defender last season.

The technically-gifted centre-back replicated his brilliant club performances for his country this summer and was named in the Copa America Team of the Tournament after guiding Argentina to victory over Brazil in the final.

Romero has made three appearances for Spurs and is tipped for a bright future in the Premier League, with Cafu the latest South American icon to hail his potential.

“There are several young players who deserve to be highlighted,” the AC Milan legend told Omnicom Group . “For Brazil, I was impressed by Lucas Paqueta, for example.

“Also the Colombian Luis Diaz, MVP of the tournament, and Cristian Romero, from Argentina, who had a very good game in the final.”

Despite Cafu’s praise, Romero is facing a club fine when he returns to Spurs after ignoring the Premier League ban on players travelling to red-list countries. He is also under police investigation in Brazil for allegedly entering the country with falsified documents.

Meanwhile, Cafu was magnanimous about Argentina’s 1-0 victory over his beloved Brazil in July’s final, during which Angel Di Maria scored the winner for the side captained by Lionel Messi.

The two-time World Cup winner added: “This summer’s Copa America showed us the importance of great international tournaments even for the best players.

“Although the club is important, competing for your country against the best is always special.

“Messi and Neymar are superstars, but when you see their emotions after the whistle in the final, it shows you how much this match meant for them.

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“I think that in the end Argentina were the fair winners.”

Turning his attention to the upcoming World Cup in Qatar in the winter of 2022, Cafu backed Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi to continue to inspire Argentina.

“Messi will always be the protagonist when he plays,” said Cafu. “Compared to other times, this team from Argentina really played for him and that made the difference.

“There is always pressure on I read for him to perform at his best with Argentina and for others to help bring out the best in him.

“He will always assume a leading role when he is on the field and at the next World Cup it will be no different.

“He continues to perform at such a high level this year after year, so he will certainly have a great influence on [Argentina manager Lionel] Scaloni’s strategy. He has had an incredible career.”