‘Maradona’: Nation’s media say £20m Tottenham man was the ‘best’ player for his country at World Cup yesterday

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Uruguayan media outlet El Pais have rated Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur as the best player for Uruguay at the World Cup yesterday.

Bentancur has been in brilliant form for Spurs this season and has improved massively under Antonio Conte after making the £20 million switch from Juventus back in January.

The 25-year-old has arguably been Tottenham’s most consistent performer in the centre of midfield and has even started adding goals to his game.

Bentancur nearly got on the scoresheet for Uruguay yesterday too after a brilliant solo run. He was denied by Portugal shot stopper Diogo Costa and his side went on to lose the game 2-0.

But El Pais was seriously impressed by his ‘Maradona-like’ run and rated him as La Celeste’s best player.

Bentancur ‘best’ player for Uruguay yesterday

The Uruguayan outlet praised Bentancur for his tireless work-rate and desire to press the Portugal midfield.

The Spurs man picked up a yellow card in the early stages of the game but kept his composure and didn’t look like being sent-off at any point. 

El Pais say Bentancur played a huge role in Uruguay’s two biggest chances in the match.

“He started with an extra change and on a couple of occasions he committed a foul in the opposite field, when he went to press,” the outlet wrote.

“In one of those plays, he got a yellow card. But it ended up being the best in Uruguay.

“His impulses led to the generation of two of the most dangerous situations in La Celeste; In one of them he made a Maradona play that goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved.

“In the second half he pushed the team and ended up exhausted by the wear and tear he did.”

Uruguay eventually fell to defeat after a Bruno Fernandes brace as they lacked real cutting edge in the final third.

But Bentancur can certainly take pride from his display in central midfield and he’s now put in two eye-catching performances in Qatar.

La Celeste need to pick up a win against Ghana and hope South Korea fail to beat Portugal to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the World Cup.