The two Tottenham Hotspur defenders will come face to face in the World Cup final on Sunday in New Jersey
Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro will do battle on Sunday to decide who completes the wild ride from the brink of relegation to World Cup glory.
Both players played their part in the season from hell with Tottenham but just seven weeks on, one of them will stand inside New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium clutching the game’s most famous trophy.
Argentina and Spain’s routes to the final have been vastly different, the holders constantly requiring late drama while the European champions have been the epitome of calm since their opening Cape Verde wake-up call.
Likewise Romero and Porro are vastly different characters. The talented 28-year-old Argentine is rarely far from controversy, suspension or injury while Porro, two years younger, manages to avoid all of the above.
Romero is expected to leave Spurs this summer, while Porro has just signed a bumper new five-year deal with the north London club.
Both defenders have been standout players at this World Cup, despite their different characteristics on the pitch.
Within one second-half minute against England, Romero showed the two sides to his footballing coin. First came remarkable composure and quick feet to fend off two onrushing players and then moments later he rugby tackled Jude Bellingham to pick up a yellow card.
Romero has that split footballing personality. He played peacemaker on numerous occasions during Wednesday night’s match but also sprinted over to celebrate in Jordan Pickford’s face after Enzo Fernandez’s leveller flew past him and into the net.
He did the same to Bellingham at the final whistle, as he did to Mo Salah after Argentina dumped out Egypt, and as he did to Kylian Mbappe after the last World Cup final.
Romero is a pantomime villain, albeit a talented one, and further stoked up English ire by grabbing a banner amid the post-match celebrations that read “The Falklands are Argentinian”.
That’s Romero though, quiet off the field and a doting family man, but as loud and rampaging as they come on it.
Inside Tottenham he is respected by all the players as a leader who sets the tone, but there has also been a growing feeling over recent years that his power within the club has swollen a little too much.
There are the frequent public shots taken at the hierarchy, but also the copious leeway given to him behind the scenes by various managers.
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Porro in contrast is the dutiful soldier. The Spaniard, dubbed Peter by James Maddison, is one of the fittest players at the club and every manager loves him.
If you ask any of his coaches which of their Spurs players could play for the biggest sides in Europe, they would all pick Porro rather than the more illustrious names.
He’s a playmaker and a right-back rolled into one and his two goals at the World Cup will have come as no surprise to anyone inside Tottenham.
He’s also a family man and one of the first calls he likely received after the semi-final victory over France was from his grandfather Antonio.
Porro’s character comes from Antonio. The young Porro grew up with him and his grandmother Maria in the small town of Don Benito in the west of Spain because his parents were always busy working to put food on the table.
When you mention Antonio’s name, the Spurs right-back’s eyes light up. There’s a special bond there between a grandson and a paternal figure who has always been there for him throughout life and football’s difficulties.
After every match, the 75-year-old still calls Porro from Spain to pass on his critiques and praise and Tuesday night would have been no different after his man of the match display against Mbappe & Co.
“For me, he’s the most important person in my life,” said Porro.
Sunday will showcase the first ever World Cup final to pit the European and Copa America champions against each other.
It will also pit team-mates Romero and Porro against each other, with new Spurs signing Marco Senesi on the bench for good measure.
Romero’s performances across the Atlantic will increase the chances of Tottenham getting the asking price they want for him this summer with Spain and Italy’s biggest clubs keen.
Porro will become one of the leaders of Roberto De Zerbi’s new-look and expensively-assembled Spurs side with big ambitions next season.
On Sunday afternoon though, club matters remain firmly on the backburner. The biggest prize in football is on the table and one of the two Tottenham defenders will be left holding it aloft.
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