Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been full of praise for full-back Djed Spence after his impressive display against Argentina in England’s FIFA World Cup semi-final clash.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final has now been played, with Argentina and England facing off, after Spain beat France on Tuesday night.
It was not to be for the Three Lions, however, as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Lionel Messi and co after La Albiceleste came from a goal down to turn the tie on its head.
That means England have once again fallen short of a place in the final after also reaching the semi-finals in 2018.
For Tottenham, Cristian Romero is heading to his second World Cup final in eight years, while Djed Spence, making his World Cup debut, will now head into the third-place play-off against 2022 World Cup finalists France.
Tottenham fans praise Djed Spence despite England defeat
Despite the outcome of last night’s match, Spence was still one of England’s better players, sticking to his defensive duties while also picking his moments to get forward.
Spence showed incredible pace throughout the game and even made a crucial last-man tackle when Simeone was through on goal for Argentina.
His standout display, which earned him a FotMob rating of 6.8, has now seen him receive plenty of praise from Tottenham supporters.
Taking to social media, one fan said: “He finally came out of his shell! That passion against Argentina.”
Another added: “Really grew this tournament. Have a rest then come back and win a premiership!”
A third fan named him as one of Spurs’ best players at the tournament: “One of our best players of the tournament.”
Meanwhile, another supporter wrote: “Don’t you dare sell him!” With Inter Milan linked with a move for Spence, one more supporter urged: “Absolute hero. We’ve got to keep hold of him.”
A final fan stated: “His performance won’t go unnoticed.”
Spence backed up his display with impressive numbers
Spence’s underlying numbers were further proof of just how impressive his display for England was.
The Spurs full-back completed 14 of his 16 passes with an accuracy of 88 per cent, made five tackles, won seven of his 13 ground duels and also produced a crucial last-man tackle in an assured defensive performance.
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 89 |
| Accurate passes | 14/16 (88%) |
| Defensive contributions | 9 |
| Touches | 48 |
| Touches in opposition box | 1 |
| Passes into final third | 4 |
| Accurate long balls | 2/3 (67%) |
| Last-man tackles | 1 |
| Tackles | 5 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Recoveries | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 7/13 (54%) |
With England now set to battle for third place, Spurs are guaranteed to have a World Cup winner for a third consecutive tournament after Hugo Lloris triumphed in 2018 and Romero in 2022.
One of Pedro Porro, Romero or Marcos Senesi could now make it three World Cups in a row with a Tottenham player lifting the trophy.