Pedro Porro’s remarkable World Cup run continued as he starred once again in Spain’s semi-final victory that sent them through to the final, cementing his status as one of the sport’s premier full-backs.
The Tottenham man has been a revelation since taking over from Marcos Llorente in Spain’s starting XI during the group phase. Since then, he’s failed to dip below a 7.6 match rating in any outing, playing a central role throughout Spain’s run to the final.
He may have saved his finest display for the France semi-final. Porro netted Spain’s second goal, the product of a slick passage of play involving Dani Olmo, slotting home from close range after timing his run into the box perfectly. It was his second goal in six World Cup outings so far.
The goal was just part of the story. Assigned to shut down France’s attacking threats — Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola among them — Porro combined defensive solidity with an attacking edge, limiting the French forwards’ influence while still contributing going forward.
His numbers backed up the eye test: an 8.1 rating, trailing only Unai Simón’s 8.2 among all players, and ahead of names like Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Mbappé, and Mikel Oyarzabal.
The underlying stats told the same story. Across 84 minutes, Porro scored, completed 23 of 29 passes (79%), had a shot on target, made six defensive actions, won two tackles, made three clearances, one interception and three recoveries, won both his aerial duels, delivered three passes into the final third, and was dribbled past just once the entire match.
On this evidence, Porro is showing he’s operating at an elite level — and giving Spurs supporters plenty of reason to believe they’ve got one of the best full-backs on the planet.
