The Team Of The Tournament

 

By Dominic Vieira, Writing from Portugal

It wasn’t easy selecting the best XI from the World Cup, especially because many players performed at such a high level. This squad plays under the 4-3-3 formation, the winning tactic used by the Spanish national team and its not a surprise that the team is dominated by them. 

Casillas (Spain): The Spanish captain was a key player in the team, conceding 2 goals in 7 matches, defending a Paraguayan penalty and stopping Arjen Robben twice in the final. He was outstanding and a top performer, and it’s no wonder that Spaniards are now calling him San Iker!

Honourable mentions: Eduardo (Portugal), Stekelenburg (Netherlands)

Van der Wiel (Netherlands): The young right back impressed in South Africa, though it’s very hard to select him over the likes of Ramos and Lahm. However, Van der Wiel had barely played for Netherlands before the tournament and he looked like an experienced player at the back. Concentrated, fast, and full of technique. He played 6 games and did not disappoint.

Honourable mentions: Ramos (Spain), Lahm (Germany)

Friedrich (Germany): The 31-year-old was quite busy at the back and many times had to cover up for Mertesacker’s mistakes. He was solid and was not afraid to carry the ball up the field. He’s an elegant, experienced centre back who rarely slipped up. He made a name for himself.

Honourable mentions: Puyol (Spain), Lugano (Uruguay)

Pique (Spain): Every game Pique is playing like the great Beckenbauer. He’s a solid defender, dominating at the back with his height, strength, and anticaption. But he can also start the attacking plays with his killer long passes. At the age of 23, Pique is the most complete defender in the world.

Honourable mentions: Alcaraz (Paraguay), Mensah (Ghana)

Coentrao (Portugal): He came to South Africa as an unknown figure on the greatest stage. The surprise inclusion in the Portuguese squad played all four games and was one of the strongest in every match. After the tournament all of Europe’s giants are calling for the services the talented left back. 

Honourable mentions: Van Bronckhorst (Netherlands), Fucile (Uruguay)

Schweinsteiger (German): Müller may have received a huge applause for Germany’s success, but Bastian Schweinsteiger was the man pulling all the strings in his pivotal holding position. An irreplaceable figure who was the team’s most consistent performer.

Honourable mentions: Busquets (Spain), Van Bommel (Netherlands)

Iniesta (Spain): At the age of 26 Iniesta has won everything, from Euro 2008 to numerous La Liga titles and now to scoring the winning goal. “Veni Vedi Vici” - Andres Iniesta came, saw and conquered the World Cup. He was sublime.

Honourable mentions: Khedira (Germany), Honda (Japan)

Xavi (Spain): Xavi is a football god. He bossed the midfield, produced passes nobody else could see and was the team’s engine. The Barça ace was in fabulous form - nobody completed as many passes as he did, and what important passes they were. If a team plays with Andrés Iniesta, the only perfect partner is Xavi. The Xavi-Iniesta midfield is truly legendary!

Honourable mentions: Arevalo (Uruguay), Dos Santos (Mexico)

Sneijder (Netherlands): Was this talented playmaker really a Real Madrid reject? Wesley Sneijder was the brain for the Orange, he constantly looked to set up his teammates with killer passes, retained possession and scored 5 goals! After a superb season for Inter Milan where he won everything, Sneijder was majestical over this past month!

Honourable mentions: Messi (Argentina), Ozil (Germany)

Forlan (Uruguay): He was Uruguay’s heart and soul. Forlan was a leader, a goalscorer, and a team player. The winner of the Golden Ball played exceptionally brilliant in South Africa and was lethal up front. He proved himself as a world-class footballer and scored some sweet goals too. It was very hard to choose between Forlan and Müller.

Honourable mentions: Muller (Germany), Gyan (Ghana)

Villa (Spain): When the team were not playing their best football, David Villa was there to score the vital goals. He scored winning goals against Portugal, Paraguay, Honduras and Chile. With the exception of the final, Villa was playing on the left side of the attacking trio and constantly cut into the centre on his right to create danger. Villa was one of the best players on the tournament and simply had to be in this team.

Honourable mentions: Vittek (Slovakia), Klose (Germany)