Where does Pedro Porro rank among the best RBs in the world? | OneFootball

Pedro Porro is a player with divided opinions at Tottenham Hotspur. For once, the Spaniard is a prominent attacking threat who can play both inside and outside due to his exceptional ball control and technique. Still, he is also known for his defensive deficiencies, which are a liability at times, especially for a team that plays with such a short coverage blanket in Ange's system.

When Spurs signed Porro, I was genuinely excited because I had followed his games at Sporting Lisbon with Ruben Amorim and thought he was a perfect fit for Antonio Conte's scheme. Many things have changed since then, including the manager at White Hart Lane, and I wondered if Porro would be capable of playing consistently on and off the ball in a back-four formation with Ange.

The answer, surprisingly to many, is yes, even though a few adjustments would be necessary to provide Porro with more effective support in such a system. The truth is that the Spain international has improved defensively to some extent since transitioning to a back-four, as he has finally started receiving call-ups to his national team in the absence of Dani Carvajal. Simultaneously, that transition would never be easy for a former wingback/midfielder, which is why I appreciate his talent on the ball and understand where the source of it comes from. Now, taking all that into account, I beg the question:

Where does Pedro Porro rank among the best right-backs in the world?

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To answer that question, it would be necessary to compare Porro with all the best right-backs on the planet right now. In all fairness, the fullback position has experienced a recent 'shortage' of talent compared to previous generations. Indeed, we still have many promising right-backs, or fullbacks in general, playing at the highest level, but not in a similar model to the past. A possible explanation is the constant tactical changes in the game, which force players from those positions to adapt to different roles.

For instance, it is now very common to see fullbacks adapting to an inverted midfield role or even a full-time wingback position. In Manchester City, for example, Guardiola seems to privilege other profiles than self-proclaimed fullbacks, as Pep even starts center-backs and midfielders in those areas. Hence, it's become rarer to observe an old-school fullback coming back-and-forth like Cafu used to do back in the day.

In modern football, the fullback position has undergone significant evolution from its form a few decades ago, with Philipp Lahm likely being a precursor to this movement. In this context, it is essential to explain the terminology to help fit Porro into the modern fullback standard.

I believe Pedro Porro can effectively and fascinatingly fit various roles. First, he has proven he can play as a wingback in a back-three scheme, as he did in Lisbon and to a lesser extent at Tottenham with Conte. While at Sporting between 2020 and 2023, Porro recorded significant offensive numbers, including a cumulative non-penalty xG and xAG that improved with each subsequent season in Portugal, according to FBref. In that sense, he could be compared to the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Denzel Dumfries, who are the role model wingbacks playing at the highest level.

At Spurs, on the other hand, people questioned whether Pedro Porro would adapt to a back-four with Ange and even considered Emerson Royal the most probable starter at that point in time. However, he proved himself to be a perfect inverted fullback, becoming a more technical and complementary piece to Destiny Udogie's high-pace engine and physicality.

A clear indicator of Porro's abilities on the ball is the number of progressive passes, which surpassed his previous career years only in the past two seasons with Spurs, at 194 and 147, respectively. He also averages 5.77 progressive passes per game, which ranks in the 92nd percentile this season, according to FBref. In terms of delivery, Porro overperformed his expected assisted goals in the past three seasons, while averaging 3.80 shot-creating actions per 90 for Spurs this campaign.

At the same time, it would be misleading on my part not to mention Porro's weaknesses in defending, particularly in tracking runs in behind and one-on-one situations — a factor that scares any Spurs fan. According to numbers, though, Porro's defensive numbers also showcase the Spaniard's reasonable improvements as a pure right-back. Some of his defensive metrics improved significantly during the past two years at Spurs compared to his entire career, including his summed tackles plus interception numbers, clearances, and tackles won (FBref).

Overall, Porro demonstrated that he can be a valuable asset in many distinct roles that define a modern right-back. Also, despite some defensive mishaps, there was a margin for development, as it is also essential to notice that he plays in a system that requires the fullbacks to cover too much space and, consequently, puts them in uncomfortable situations. Maybe in a more balanced scheme, Porro might grow even more as a defender and a player, in general.

Ok, now we finally answer the question...

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I definitely would not put Pedro Porro in the top 5 best fullbacks in the world, at least not for the moment. He has the potential to be there, but there are still a few aspects of his game that could be improved slightly, as previously mentioned. Besides, I highly rate the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Achraf Hakimi, Jules Koundé, and Jeremie Frimpong more, in no particular order.

However, Porro could get up in the ranks in the near future, as he is only 25 years old. He currently stands at 6th place among the most valuable right-backs in the world, according to Transfermarkt, which I think is exactly where he should be placed, more or less. Porro, therefore, has all the traits to become one of the top 5 fullbacks in the world, as he is the natural heir to Dani Carvajal's starting spot in Spain and a right-back capable of doing all aspects of what the modern game requires.