It is not easy for a defender playing in gam with stars like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Kylian Mbappe to be named Man of the Match, but Tottenham Hotspur right back Pedro Porro was honored as the best player of the World Cup semifinals after scoring a game sealing goal of his own while playing beautiful lockdown defense against the best front four on the planet in a 2-0 win for Spain over France.
Porro's huge game was just the latest of a streak of impeccable performances on the right side of the Spanish defense, playing the best football Spain have seen on the right flank defensively since Sergio Ramos owned the spot in the 2010 World Cup when they last won the biggest prize in world football.
The top tier performances from Porro, the best right back at the World Cup tournament (by far), come after a difficult season in which Porro needed Roberto De Zerbi to join the club to effectively save his Tottenham career after Thomas Frank made him look - and act - like a shell of himself.
Roberto De Zerbi did not mess around
But Pedro Porro turned it around for Tottenham in the relegation fight, and now he is better than ever. Before the World Cup, Manchester CIty and Real Madrid were already showing significant interest in the player they once pursued in 2022 when he was a mere prospect for Sporting CP in Portugal, but De Zerbi and Spurs told them to back off before signing the player to a huge contract extension with a raise in wages.
That move was less obvious then and has proven to be a stroke of genius now. Porro has told the press how he feels valued and respected by Tottenham Hotspur since they gave him that upgraded contract, affirming that he has no intention of leaving the Lilywhites.
Roberto De Zerbi 100 percent did the right thing by pushing Tottenham to make Porro this deal and give him a new contract, because if he did not and Spurs were watching Porro play like this without a new contract, then Real Madrid and Manchester City may have very well snapped him up already. Because Porro has only skyrocketed his own value with this World Cup, and comparing him to PSG's Achraf Hakimi, Porro is one big 2026/27 season away from making his case as the best right back in the world. De Zerbi did very well to get that contract done before the World Cup even started.
Add us as a preferred source on Google