England took all three points against Tunisia on Monday night in their opening World Cup game with a last-gasp winner from Tottenham striker Harry Kane to make the score 2-1, but it was Kieran Trippier whose performance thrilled most Spurs fans.
Gareth Southgate opted to shift the Spurs defender out into the right wing back position where he was a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, tearing down the flank, and a thorn in the side of the North African nation.
Trippier was one of a number of Tottenham players to be selected for England’s opening game and he featured alongside teammates Kane and Dele Alli while Eric Dier got a run out later on in the game as well.
At Tottenham, the 27-year-old is something of an unsung hero as he never really gets the plaudits his forays and tackles down the right deserve.
Signed in 2015 from Premier League rivals Burnley, the right-sided flyer who the Daily Star has revealed earns £65,000-a-week, has made 76 appearances for Spurs in total, scoring one goal and assisting 19 in that time.
But for the Three Lions, for once, he was on the receiving end of all the plaudits.
Here is a selection of Twitter reactions from Tottenham supporters reacting to the player’s display in the World Cup:
Pochettino turned Trippier into a player so good that Southgate had to invent a new position for Walker, ultimate miracle worker
— Billie (@Billie_T) June 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/StambouliTweets/status/1008823524163768320
We perfected him #COYS
— LeonGee (@theanalysand) June 18, 2018
??? very proud.
— Paula (@PaulaL1882) June 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/1955nancoys/status/1008804853718618112
He’s class. Did it all season for Spurs
— CB (@CMBogey) June 19, 2018
https://twitter.com/wozza67/status/1008805708798754821