Tottenham Hotspur stars had an incredible 2026 World Cup tournament to prove to Roberto De Zerbi and the res of the world that they are much, much better players than their finish of 17th in the Premier League would suggest.
Right back Pedro Porro won the World Cup and was the best right back in the tournament, making it into the official FIFA best XI of the tourney, but there were other players on Tottenham who had brilliant World Cups and deserve to be spotlighted, too. Here are four more who were in Team of the Tournament contention.
Spain RB Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro had such an outrageously good World Cup that he may have been the Player of the Tournament, even along with his teammate Rodri. His one on one defending was impeccable, he was one of the best fullback creators and progressors of the tournament, and he even scored two goals. The entire right flank ran through Porro.
England LB Djed Spence
Everyone doubted the versatile Djed Spence coming into the World Cup, but no matter where or when he played, he made the difference for the England national team. Spence was world class in defense, putting his body on the line and winning games for thee Three Lions. At his best on the left flank, Spence won an insane number of duels and almost never got beat off the dribble. He was just as brilliant as Team of the Tournament left back Marc Cucurella.
Argentina CB Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero should have made it into the Team of the Tournament over Lisandro Martinez. Although Tottenham Hotspur fans have soured on Romero, everyone has to admit how great he was at the World Cup with Argentina reaching the Final. He was involved in clutch goals, barely got beat in defense, and was one of the top ball playing CBs of the tournament with more than 95 percent of his passes completed.
Netherlands CB Jan Paul van Hecke
Roberto De Zerbi's favorite Jan Paul van Hecke already proved he is worth every penny of the 60 million euros spent on him from Brighton. The Netherlands may have bounced out early in the knockouts against Morocco, but it was a tough game and they played a great tournament. Van Hecke was setting records with his passing as the best ball playing CB of the tourney, even above Cristian Romero, with 93 completed passes per game. Ridiculous.
Uruguay CM Rodrigo Bentancur
Although Rodrigo Bentancur is a sore thumb on this list and not as acclaimed while his Uruguay side were the flops of the tournament, getting knocked out in the group stages, as his new teammate Mateus Fernandes can attest, you can still be a great midfielder on a horrible team. Bentancur had to do a lot of heavy lifting with how bad Uruguay's actual best player, Fede Valverde of Real Madrid, performed, but Benta was tremendous. He had three combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game with a whopping 2.0 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game. He was a perfect defensive midfielder and quietly made a big statement to Spurs that he is still here despite the new signings.
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