Tottenham have several players at the 2026 World Cup, including three new signings in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. We have also had a World Cup winner at the previous two tournaments (Hugo Lloris in 2018 and Cristian Romero in 2022).
While we wait to see if any will end this summer's tournament with the iconic trophy in hand, let's remind ourselves of some of the great Spurs World Cup performances over the years.
This list includes only players who were at Spurs during the World Cup and considers their individual performances and contributions to their team’s progression. This means there are notable campaigns that aren't considered, such as Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles in 1978, who joined the club after winning the World Cup on home soil.
JĂĽrgen Klinsmann and Gary Lineker also enjoyed stellar tournaments when they weren't on Spurs' books, while Jimmy Greaves, a champion with England in 1966, barely featured after picking up an injury in the group stage.
Here are the five best individual campaigns from Spurs players at the World Cup.
5. Jan Vertonghen (Belgium 2018)
Vertonghen had a good World Cup in 2014 as Belgium reached the quarterfinals, but in 2018, he helped his country go one better, narrowly losing to eventual winners France.
After playing in two wins during the group stage, Vertonghen was rested for the final game and returned for the knockout rounds, starting in the round of 16 vs. Japan. Trailing 2-0 with only 21 minutes remaining, Vertonghen started the comeback that would lead to a 3-2 Belgium victory. Meeting a high ball, Vertonghen finished quite remarkably with a looping headed effort, which helped change the course of the game.
His best performance came in the quarterfinal, where he played a crucial role in keeping out waves of Brazilian attacks. An excellent game, involving long periods of pressure for Vertonghen and his team, ended with Belgium winning 2-1.
4. Harry Kane (England 2018)
Kane won the Golden Boot in 2018, which is a notable feat at any World Cup. That achievement makes him a worthy entrant, although it could be argued that with half of his six goals being penalties, and no goals beyond the round of 16, the statistic does not tell the full story.
It was, however, the tournament where we really saw Kane bring so much more than just goals to the England team. His range of passing, reading of the game, and awareness to facilitate others were important in England’s run to the semifinals.
This has all developed so much more since this tournament to the point where Kane has grown into a complete player.
3. Cristian Romero (Argentina, 2022, winner)
Romero’s World Cup started slowly. After a defeat to Saudi Arabia in Argentina’s first game, he missed the second game (a win over Mexico) before returning for the final group outing, where he helped keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over Poland.
Romero then started all the knockout rounds and played a critical role in Argentina’s World Cup win. The final, a euphoric triumph on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw with France, may not sound like an impressive defensive performance. Still, Romero had an excellent game, including a crucial block to stop any rebounds after a French shot was spilled by Emiliano MartĂnez.
2. Hugo Lloris (France 2018, winner)
Our long-serving goalkeeper Hugo Lloris became the first Spurs player to win the World Cup as a captain in 2018. He was also only the fourth goalkeeper ever to lift the trophy as captain. After playing in two of the group games, Lloris started every knock-out game and kept clean sheets in both the quarter final and semifinal. Lloris actually did not have the greatest game in the final itself, including one error as he lost the ball to gift Croatia a goal. It did not matter in the end as France went on to win the final 4-2. Lloris excelled in the earlier rounds though, particularly with saves vs. Argentina, Uruguay, and Belgium. There are many highlights to choose from with perhaps the save at full stretch to keep out a header from Uruguay’s MartĂn Cáceres being the pick of them all. A great player for both Tottenham and France, Lloris was a deserved winner in 2018.
1. Paul Gascoigne (England, 1990, semifinals)
Every game England played at the 1990 World Cup was tight and it was a run that eventually ended in penalty shootout heartbreak, but Gazza rightly made the team of the tournament after a series of outstanding performances. He was dominant in midfield, both in dictating the tempo of games, driving the team forward, and creating chances. Gazza was at best when dribbling past opponents and his ability to carry the ball was important to England’s progress. Every knockout game went to extra time, but it is most often the dramatic win over Belgium in the Round of 16 that is recalled. With penalties looming, Gazza provided the assist for David Platt’s late winner and England started to believe. It was the tournament that announced Gazza on the world stage.
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