There was joy and disappointment aplenty at San Mames on Wednesday as Tottenham defeated Man United in the Europa League final. And for Harry Maguire, there was also anger.
Maguire was among several Man United players to have a frustrating night in Bilbao, and his frustrations were heightened by Cristian Romero throughout the second half. The pair clashed on numerous occasions in the closing stages, and there was one more incident between the pair during the post-match festivities.
Harry Maguire angrily reacts to Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero went over to speak to Harry Maguire at the end and the two have to be separated after Maguire fires back at him ? @MailSport #mufc pic.twitter.com/QQtIzKi2oe
— Nathan Salt (@NathSalt1) May 21, 2025
As captured by Nathan Salt, who is Man United’s correspondent for Mail Sport, Maguire reacted angrily to Romero after being approached by the Tottenham defender during his celebrations. It is unclear what was said by the Argentine, but it was enough to set off his English counterpart.
Romero, who was announced as the Europa League final man of the match by UEFA, was rock-solid for Tottenham in Bilbao alongside fellow central defender Micky van de Ven, who denied Man United an equaliser in the second half with an incredible goal-line clearance following an error from Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham supporters are already celebrating their success in Bilbao, which is their first trophy in over 17 years. But this moment with Romero and Maguire is bound to make them smile more, given that the Man United defender was very clear wound up by something that was said to him. Romero is already loved by his supporters, and this incident will endear him further.
But there could be concern coming up for Tottenham in regards to Romero, who has been strongly linked with a move away during the summer transfer window. Atletico Madrid have identified him as their leading centre-back target, and reports in recent months have suggested that he would be very open to making the move to the RiyadhAir Metropolitano.
