“Nostalgia—it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means ’the pain from an old wound.’ It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone."
Don Draper's Kodak pitch is one of the standout scenes in the utterly superb Mad Men, as the genius creative tugs on the heartstrings by delving into a concept so many of us struggle to explain and merely feel.
As suffering Tottenham Hotspur supporters, nostalgia has been key to our sustenance in these troubling times. In a bid to avoid the miserable present, we've longed for a more beautiful past.
Thankfully, the most humiliating of fates (relegation) was just about avoided, and we can enjoy the upcoming World Cup mired in optimistic transfer links as a Premier League club. However, the summer tournament will also facilitate some Lilywhite mind-wandering, as players who once marauded White Hart Lane or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium represent their countries on the sport's most illustrious stage.
Here are five players who fans will feel nostalgic about at the 2026 World Cup.
1. Son Heung-min
It's only been a year without Sonny, and it wasn't fun. The time seemed right for a parting of ways, especially after our glorious night in Bilbao, but we certainly missed the xG defiance of the South Korean's apex.
He's a modern-day Tottenham great, and perhaps the most universally cherished footballer we've ever had. Son suffered through the club's plight last season like every supporter, admitting that he was a nervous wreck on the final day against Everton.
His move to Major League Soccer (MLS) means local Spurs supporters are unlikely to be up to date with Son's work in Los Angeles. A quick statistical overview suggests Son may be saving all his goals this calendar year for the upcoming tournament.
He started out hot in MLS but has evolved into a prolific provider, rather than a goalscorer, in 2026.
His Korean team reached the last 16 in 2022, and they’ve got a great chance of advancing beyond a tightly-packed Group A.
2. Mauricio Pochettino
Okay, not a player, but he once was!
For a while, it seemed inevitable that Mauricio Pochettino would return to Tottenham this summer. As Thomas Frank led the bleakest of eight-month reigns, many of us were suckered into social media edits of Poch's Lilywhites at their apex, probably to the tune of Sam Fender and Olivia Dean.
With Poch unattainable until after the World Cup, Spurs couldn't afford to wait. Thus, Roberto De Zerbi was appointed in late March, and it was the Italian who proved most important in guiding us to safety.
A long-term project is hopefully brewing with De Zerbi at the helm, so it may be a little while until #PochBack resurfaces.
It’ll be interesting to see how he goes with the USMNT this summer. They offered promise at the end of 2025 but struggled against impressive European forces in March. Still, a kind group renders a knockout stage berth close to a guarantee.
3. Nabil Bentaleb
It's a minor miracle that Nabil Bentaleb will be involved at the World Cup, having suffered a cardiac arrest in June 2024. Told that he may never play football again, Bentaleb refused to quit.
He was back in action after seven months, playing for Lille in Ligue 1, and he's worked his way into Algeria's plans for the World Cup. The elegant left-footed midfielder, who left Spurs in 2017 having initially impressed under Pochettino, has been capped 58 times for his country and is preparing for his second experience of football's grandest event.
Bentaleb made his World Cup debut 12 years ago in Brazil, just before he was lining up alongside the likes of Tom Carroll, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele at White Hart Lane.
Algeria, by the way, could be a sneaky dark-horse in North America.
4. Giovani Lo Celso
Giovani Lo Celso ought to have been really good for Spurs. There was a period when the Argentine put the Lilywhites on his back, but that time in the club's modern history has been consigned to the abyss it was that forgettable.
Lo Celso can play, but injuries didn't allow for any rhytm or momentum to develop in north London after Covid. His absence from the Argentinian squad in Qatar three-and-a-half years ago was regarded as a major blow, but Lionel Messi inspired the Albiceleste to their first World Cup triumph since 1986.
The creative midfielder is fit for this tournament, though, having spent the past couple of seasons at Real Betis, who have qualified for next season's Champions League.
I'm not sure whether Lo Celso will start for the holders this summer, but expect him to play a relatively important role.
5. Davinson Sánchez
I always liked Big Dav, and detested how he was occasionally treated by factions of supporters. Sure, he was imperfect and good for an egregious error now and then, but the Colombian was generally a reliable servant for the club, especially when you take into account how young he was when he rocked up in north London.
There were times when I thought he was a world-beater, with his performance at Stamford Bridge, when we secured our first Premier League win there in 2018, sticking out.
Sánchez was the first Colombian to play for Spurs, and he spent six years with us before moving on in 2023. The centre-back has remained an imperative figure for the national team since joining Galatasaray, with his haul of caps set to move beyond 80 at the World Cup.
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