Goalkeeper
Samir Handanovic (
Slovenia)
Given the country's population of two million, Slovenia might have been expected to look out of their depth, but performed capably to come within a point of England in Group C. Handanovic, who plays for Udinese, always looked in control of events. The 25-year-old has a calm temperament and his technique is so secure that he is entitled to be confident. Transfer bids look likely.
Kevin McCarra
Right-back
Sergio Ramos (
Spain)
Philipp Lahm and Maicon of Germany and Brazil respectively pushed the Spaniard close, but Ramos was all energy and excelled at both ends of the pitch. His attacking forays down the flank offered Spain much needed directness on the occasions their intricate passing moves became overelaborate. At the back, he was rugged and determined, marginalising Dirk Kuyt in the final, in a miserly Spanish team that conceded only twice throughout the tournament. Their intricate football caught the eye, but Vicente del Bosque's side could be just as proud of their stinginess at the back.
Dominic Fifield
Centre-half
Diego Lugano (
Uruguay)
The 29-year-old was the personification of Uruguay's spirit and conviction. The Fenerbahce centre-back inspired those around him with his whole-hearted displays throughout a group campaign in which the Uruguayans were not breached. The ligament injury sustained to his right knee when the quarter-final against
Ghana was still goalless cost him a place in the semi-final in Cape Town, in which
Holland capitalised by rattling in three. Lugano was sorely missed. When he returned in the rip-roaring third-place match he did not appear entirely fit but impressed nevertheless.
DF
Centre-half
Paulo da Silva (
Paraguay)
Few predicted Paraguay would ruffle feathers in South Africa, but their progress to the quarter-finals was just reward for a solidity that was summed up by the veteran Sunderland defender. Da Silva and his team-mates across the South Americans' back line, including Wigan's impressive new signing Antolín Alcaraz, conceded only twi ce in their five matches – to Italy in the group stage and Spain in the last eight – with the 30-year-old a rock at the heart of their defence. They will be hoping to see evidence of this skill on Wearside next season.
DF
Left-back
Fábio Coentrão (
Portugal)
The 22-year-old shone in a Portuguese side which conceded only once, to Spain in the second round, in their four games in South Africa. Coentrão was a marauding left-back of real skill and adventure, betraying his roots as a winger and revelling in his ability to torment in the 7-0 thrashing of North Korea. He was involved in Portugal's second-half plunder that afternoon and, while Carlos Queiroz's side may have disappointed, the youngster returned from the tournament with his reputation enhanced and suitors lining up to prise him from Benfica.
DF
Holding midfielders
Anthony Annan (Ghana)
A 23-year-old jewel in the slickest and most progressive midfield in the entire tournament. Compensating for the absence of the injured Michael Essien, one of the world's most formidable players, took some doing, but Annan managed it. As in 2006, he and his fellow midfielders lacked only a reliable goalscorer to profit from their skill and enterprise. Probably not destined to stay much longer with his Norwegian club, Rosenborg.
Richard Williams
Javier Mascherano (
Argentina)
An absolute master of his craft, Mascherano began the tournament alongside Juan Sebastián Verón. But then, facing Germany in the quarter-finals, the man who had said the team would consist of "Mascherano and 10 others" let him down. Making a novice's mistake, Diego Maradona opted for a 4-1-2-3 formation that left his captain hopelessly exposed whenever an attack broke down and the forwards drifted gently backwards like flotsam on an ebb tide.
RW
Attacking midfielders
Wesley Sneijder (Holland)
Tempting to punish him for the Dutch brutality in the final but it would be cruel to replace him with Andrés Iniesta or Mesut Ozil, although Iniesta, who scored the winner in yesterday's final, would walk into a world XI. Despite the worldwide emphasis on team shape and defensive organisation, creative passing midfielders flourished at this World Cup. Sneijder edges ahead for his match-winning performances leading up to the final and the zeal with which he tried to add a World Cup medal to the treble he won with Internazionale.
Paul Hayward
Xavi (Spain)
Exemplary in the most creative position on the pitch and was a fine ambassador for the Barça-Spanish style throughout the tournament. His job was made harder by Fernando Torres's poor form in the early rounds. Xavi played more passes and created more goalscoring chances than any player in South Africa. About time he was recognised as one of the world's five best footballers. Talks well too about the Barcelona philosophy of delighting the crowd.
PH
Arjen Robben (Holland)
A three-man attacking midfield would need speed and Robben was the best wide man in South Africa. Injured before the tournament, Robben might have played the wounded animal but threw himself into the Dutch campaign with gusto. The doubt about him has always been that he lacks the physical courage to go with his talent. But in this World Cup he was a terror in the later rounds. Can be thrilling to watch.
PH
Striker
Diego Forlán (Uruguay)
His impact created some prospect of his country returning to the World Cup final after 60 years. Forlán, 31, was remarkably energetic and showed a precision less associated with him in younger days. Three of his five goals were well-executed drives from distance. The impact came, too, after a taxing, if triumphant, Europa League campaign with Atlético Madrid.
KM
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