Marcos Senesi's Journey from World Cup Final to Tottenham
Marcos Senesi has barely had time to catch his breath.
At the end of June, the Argentine centre-back walked away from Bournemouth as a free agent. Within days, he had a new badge on his chest and a new league to conquer, signing for Tottenham in a summer that has already brought Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andry Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke through the same doors.
For most new signings, pre-season in Australia would have been the natural starting point. A long flight, a few double sessions, a first run-out in front of distant fans. Senesi’s path twisted in a different direction.
A late call from Argentina changed everything.
When Leonardo Balerdi was ruled out, Argentina turned to Senesi for the World Cup. Suddenly, instead of boarding a plane to join Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, he was pulling on the Albiceleste shirt on the biggest stage of all.
He did not simply make up the numbers. Senesi featured twice as Argentina powered their way to a second straight World Cup final, a run that pushed him to five senior caps in total. The dream ended one step short, a 1-0 defeat to a Spain side marshalled in part by his new club-mate Pedro Porro.
From facing Porro in a World Cup final to sharing a dressing room at Hotspur Way in less than a fortnight: this is the new reality for Senesi.
He has now reported to Tottenham’s training ground for the first time, with the Premier League kick-off just over three weeks away. The clock is already ticking on his integration. Fitness, understanding De Zerbi’s demands, building chemistry with a new back line – all of it has to happen at speed.
There is, for now, no fixed date for his first appearance in a Spurs shirt. Plans are not yet in place for him to link up with the touring squad in Australia, so his debut will likely wait until the team returns to Europe. The schedule will give him chances soon enough: Tottenham host Getafe on 8 August before a double-header against Hoffenheim the following weekend.
Those fixtures may offer the first real glimpse of how De Zerbi intends to use his World Cup finalist.
Not every Tottenham player came back from the tournament with such momentum. Rodrigo Bentancur’s campaign with Uruguay unravelled before it ever caught fire. He played in all three group matches, but the story was joyless: draws against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, then a must-win clash with Spain that slipped away and sent them home early.
One Spurs arrival riding the wave of a World Cup run, another returning with a bitter taste and questions to answer. Pre-season will not erase those contrasts, yet it will shape what comes next.
For Senesi, the next challenge is clear: turn the sharpness of a World Cup final into an immediate impact in north London.
