Cristian Romero will return in January or February, confirms Tottenham boss Antonio Conte.

Romero will not play for the rest of the year after suffering an injury last month with the Argentina national team. Tottenham coach Antonio Conte states that Romero is out with a high-grade hamstring strain. With quotes from Football.London, speaking at a press conference, here is what Antonio Conte had to say.

“The news is not positive, not good. The injury is serious. I think it will take time to see him again. Surely next year. We need to check his injury week by week but the injury is serious. Now he’s trying to recover but he needs a long time. He needs time to recover. It’s a pity because you know he’s an important player for us. The injury is very serious.”

When aaked if Romero would be back next year:

“Next year. January, February, I don’t know but for sure in 2021 he has finished playing. For this month. We have to wait and to recover well but the injury is serious.”

Javier Mascherano will reportedly become the new coach of the Argentina U20 team.

Mascherano is set to replace current Argentina U20 coach Fernando Batista. According to a report by Hernan Castillo, Batista will be joining Jose Pekerman as Pekerman will coach the Venezuelan national team. Mascherano would be his replacement.

Ricky Alvarez has decided to retire from football.

Alvarez, still only 33 years old, will retire from football at the end of this season. Currently with childhood club Velez Sarsfield, he was part of the Argentina national team squad which made the final of the 2014 World Cup. He was substituted in for Lionel Messi where he played 18 minutes.

A career full of injuries, he joined Inter from Velez where he spent four years at the club, one of which was at Sunderland on loan. After that he would go to Sampdoria before joing Atlas and going back to Velez.

He now joins Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Hugo Campagnaro, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Maxi Rodriguez, Jose Maria Basanta, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernando Gago, Javier Mascherano and Augusto Fernandez as retired players from that 2014 Argentina team.

Lionel Messi won a record 7th Ballon d’Or on Monday.

Messi continues to break records, this time breaking one of his own. The Argentine won his and all time record 7th Ballon d’Or as he edged out Robert Lewandowski to the award.

It was Luis Suarez who presented him with the award as the two friends hugged it out om stage. Messi won the Copa del Rey with FC Barcelona while also winning the Pichichi, the award given to La Liga’s highest goalscorer that season. With the Argentina national team, Messi won the Copa America while also being the top goal scorer and the best player of the Copa America. Here is what he said during his speech:

“Today I’m here in Paris. I am very happy, really, very happy, I really want to continue to fight and reach new objectives. I don’t know how many more years but I am really enjoying myself. I thank my team-mates at Barça, Paris & Argentina”.

He also mentioned Robert Lewandowski:

“Robert, you deserve your Ballon D’Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner of this award.”

The Argentine also thanked the Argentina national team:

“I especially want to thank the squad and the coaching staff of the Argentina national team. I was able to achieve the dream I wanted so much. In the end, it happened and this award is in large part of what we did at the Copa America. This is part of them.”