Pedro Porro insists rejection at Manchester City was his inspiration en route to Tottenham.
The flying Spanish wing-back did not merely fail to make the grade at the Etihad as a teenager. He never even set foot in Manchester. Nor did he talk to Pep Guardiola.
Incredible but true. For, after his medical in an £11million deal from Girona was done in Spain, Porro, 18 at the time, was immediately loaned to Valladolid. Such a setback could have destroyed a promising career, draining the youngster’s confidence.
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In Porro’s case it did the reverse, fuelling his motivation and drive further. He eventually signed permanently for Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon before last January’s £39.7m switch to Tottenham.
Ahead of today’s trip to the Premier League champions, the Spanish ace said: "It’s cool. I have total respect for City. They probably weren’t counting on me at the time. In football, as in any walk of life, when you realise you don’t fit in and are not part of something, you get on with it, follow your own path, your own goals – and set yourself targets.
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"As an individual, I’m very ambitious and I think I showed a lot of strength to come through that and get to where I am today – by following my path. You look for ways out of that situation, whether it’s a move or a loan. That’s what happened. There is no bitterness.
"My first time in Manchester was actually playing in the Champions League against them for Sporting. We’d lost 5-0 at home but that second game was 0-0."
The measured, calm approach to the past belies Porro’s relentless, frenetic style when bombing up and down the right flank. And it certainly helped him to withstand the barrage of criticism received for some tricky early appearances for the North Londoners.
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Now a firm favourite with the N17 faithful, Porro added: “I’m chilled about it. In football, everyone has an opinion. Everyone can criticise. It’s the best league in the world so, by definition, you’re more exposed and more people watch you. I am pretty laid back about that."
Which will not be the case when he faces City’s lightning Belgium winger Jeremy Doku.
"Clearly, I’m not going to have an afternoon off – but neither is he! That’s what’s beautiful about it," said Porro, 24. "When you come up against a top player, it makes you improve and become a better player. It will be an entertaining spectacle."
Likely Tottenham line up to face Manchester City (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie; Hojbjerg, Bissouma, La Celso; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.
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