‘He wasn’t David Villa’: Nigel de Jong reacts to Tottenham player’s actions at World Cup

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is playing right at the top of his game and he is proving that at the 2022 Qatar World Cup for Uruguay.

Even though Uruguay are facing elimination, after losing 2-0 to Portugal on Monday, Tottenham’s thriving midfielder nearly produced a moment of magic during the game when his solo run nearly resulted in a goal.

Despite doing all of the hard work, Bentancur then proceeded to shoot his effort straight at the opposition goalkeeper, as former Netherlands international Nigel de Jong joked that ‘he’s not David Villa’ that’s why he didn’t finish it and perhaps he should have rounded Diogo Costa in between the sticks.

At that moment, the game was still goalless, with Bruno Fernandes, via the magic head of Cristiano Ronaldo, going on to put Portugal ahead in the second half, before the Manchester United man added a second via the penalty spot in stoppage-time.

That Bentancur moment ended up proving to be costly because it ended up being the best chance Uruguay created, as de Jong dismissed the Spurs star being mocked for the colour of his boots being the reason why he missed, as he told beIN SPORTS (28/11/22 at 7:55 pm).

“Nah, it wasn’t due to the colour of his boots, it was just that he wasn’t David Villa (sat next to him) in his prime when he was in that position,” said de Jong. “I think David would have finished that opportunity.

“Again, it was a great opportunity for Uruguay. He got a little bit of luck here going through two defenders. But I think he made the wrong decision. He had enough space to go around the goalkeeper.”

BENTANCUR HAS BEEN TOTTENHAM’S BEST PLAYER

Step aside Harry Kane, it’s Bentancur who has been Tottenham’s best player this season because, without him, many results would have been different in the Premier League.

He arrived as a defensive-minded midfielder, but he is proving that he has much more than that in his locker.

When Antonio Conte has unleashed him forward, he has showcased great ball-carrying ability like he is Dejan Kulusevski, skill like he’s Lucas Moura and composure like he’s related to Kane.