Дэлхийн аваргын бэлгэдлийн шигшээ багийг нэрлэлээ

FIFA have announced their ‘Dream XI’ of the World Cup, which is decided by fan votes throughout the tournament, and it features three Spain players, three from France and two from Argentina, with England’s Jude Bellingham, Norway’s Erling Haaland and Cape Verde’s Vozinha completing the team.

To make life a little more interesting, we asked seven of our writers to choose their best XI from the tournament, with one rule: they could have a maximum of two players from any one nation.

Nobody picked Unai Simon, despite the Spain goalkeeper conceding only once en route to lifting the trophy, while the cap on players from each country meant there was room for some slightly different names. Hello, Julian Quinones and Youri Tielemans.

Here are their XIs, and why they picked them…

Oliver Kay

The two-players-per-nation limit had a severe impact on the defence, which might otherwise have been an all-Spanish affair. The two Spanish players I have chosen are captain Rodri and teenage central defender Pau Cubarsi, which is harsh on Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella.

The most obvious alternatives in central defence were Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez, but while they both made eye-catching contributions in certain moments, I felt they were all over the place in the victories over Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockout stage. I’ve turned instead to Diney, who was outstanding for Cape Verde in the group stage, particularly that 0-0 draw with Spain.

In goal there will be a lot of votes for Vozinha, whose heroics for Cape Verde at the age of 40 were wonderful to watch, but I felt there was a stronger case for Egypt’s Mostafa Shobeir.

The front six picked itself really. It wouldn’t be any different without the restrictions. It might seem a little surprising to have only one player apiece from runners-up Argentina and semi-finalists England, but it was the back-four positions that were up for grabs and I didn’t feel that either team defended particularly well. They were heavily reliant on Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham respectively.

There would be a case for Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembele, but it’s impossible to look beyond that Messi-Haaland-Mbappe front three.

Mark Carey

It is an outside, data-led shout, but Switzerland’s Gregor Kobel deserves credit for exceeding shot-stopping expectations — conceding four goals fewer than the quality of shots he faced, which is more than any other goalkeeper.

Daniel Munoz’s marauding, box-crashing runs were a joy to watch for Colombia as much as they have been for Crystal Palace, while England’s Djed Spence secured his cult hero status with some memorable moments at both ends of the pitch on the other flank. Cubarsi and Martinez can hold the fort while the full-backs push on, with both being excellent in possession across the tournament.

(Reuters/Daniel Becerril)

Rodri’s place in the team was never in doubt, but from here things get a little… top-heavy.

I have squeezed in Bellingham in a deeper midfielder role (as he played on occasion this summer), to allow Messi to play in the No 10 role ahead of him. While the pair have scored 15 goals between them, both are crucial in catalysing their team’s attack creatively from the middle third of the pitch.

I am shifting Olise back to the right flank after this summer’s roaming central role, while Mbappe is moved from his centre-forward role to the left side — given that he drifts into those spaces anyway.

That allows me to shoehorn in Haaland through the centre, with a ridiculous return of seven goals in five games in his first World Cup.

Phil Hay

It’s not too easy to think outside the box because the World Cup was dominated by the biggest names, right from the start.

Messi, Mbappe and Haaland all have to figure up front. They notched 25 goals combined. There’s also no way you can leave out player-of-the-tournament Rodri (back to his Ballon d’Or best). Similarly, Bellingham and Olise were too influential to overlook.

At the back, though, I thought I’d mix it up a little (with the exception of Cubarsi — again, he should make every XI). Munoz scored a beauty for Colombia and the right-back was full of beans until his team ran out of steam against Switzerland in the last 16. Pico Lopes put in a huge shift for the loveable Cape Verde, and Spence came of age internationally with England. He was one of the World Cup’s surprise packages.

Really, Cucurella should have been at left-back with Unai ‘you shall not pass’ Simon in as goalkeeper, but the rules set for us meant my quota of Spaniards was full. So for good reason, I went with Australia’s Patrick Beach in net.

Amelie Claydon

Rodri is the foundation. The Golden Ball winner controlled Spain’s title run, completing a tournament-record 790 passes. His positional discipline also gives Bellingham and Olise the freedom to play further forward. Mbappe is equally unavoidable after winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals, while Messi remains the side’s chief creator.

Cape Verde’s Vozinha made the case for an expanded World Cup and supplied much of the tournament’s romance. The 40-year-old former electrician made seven saves in the goalless group stage draw with Spain, then another eight against Argentina as Cape Verde pushed the holders into extra time.

Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes provide elite pace and recovery speed that allows Messi and Mbappe to move into central areas without leaving the side too narrow. Manuel Akanji offers composure and experience between them, while Cubarsi takes Spain’s second allowed place after winning the Best Young Player award and helping the champions concede just once.

(Calvin Hernandez/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Haaland gives the attack a focal point after his seven goals powered Norway to the quarter-finals. His movement and physical presence create space for Messi and Mbappe.

Bellingham also struck seven times but earned his place for more than his goals, supplying pressing, late runs into the box and essential midfield balance. Olise completes the trio after recording seven assists, making him the tournament’s outstanding provider.

Kane is unfortunate to miss out, but selecting him would overload an attack already containing three elite finishers.

Colin Millar

Until the quarter-final stage, this World Cup was dictated by stars: chiefly Messi, Mbappe, Olise, Bellingham, Haaland and Kane. It was telling that none of the obvious names scored in the semi-finals or final, which was fitting for a tournament won by Spain: the epitome of a collective excelling ahead of individuals.

Focus will be on Spain’s mesmerising midfield, but in truth their entire game — which conceded just one goal and 10 shots on target in eight games — was built on an excellent defence whose positional sense, discipline, focus and technical quality was streets ahead of any other side.

Vozinha was the personal story of the tournament in the only team capable of stopping Spain: his performances in the opening game and in defeat to Argentina were bordering on heroic.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Quinones was the standout player of any host nation, scoring in four of Mexico’s five games including several stunning strikes.

Honourable shouts to Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, Norway’s Martin Odegaard, Johan Manzambi of Switzerland, Cape Verde’s Pico Lopes, Ismaila Sarr of Senegal and Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande. Oh, and the entirety of Spain’s starting line-up.

George Edwards

The many underdog stories of this World Cup seem eternities away now, but they made the early stages of the tournament gripping, and Vozinha, a 40-year-old free agent playing for Cape Verde, ended the tournament as the only goalkeeper to stop Spain from scoring.

Cubarsi’s composure both on the ball and in defensive actions rightly earned him young player of the tournament, and despite William Saliba never looking fit, France only looked capable defensively with him by Dayot Upamecano’s side.

Flanking them, Hakimi and Spence’s availability would allow progression up the park, plus the Moroccan’s recovery pace and the Englishman’s one-on-one speciality protecting an admittedly attack-heavy lineup.

Rodri’s ability to consistently make the correct decision in any scenario and his building presence as the tournament progressed was testament to the ripening of Spain — his composure would allow Bellingham and Manzambi to float between midfield and attack as they saw fit.

(Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Mbappe and Messi need no explanation, toppling and toying with records between them across the World Cup, and Haaland’s stubborn No 9 positioning and instinct gives the team the sharpest possible blade.

It’s very attacking and relies heavily on Rodri’s anchoring, but given all eleven Spaniards cannot be selected, balance has gone out of the window.

Eduardo Tansley

Rodri was the first name in, earning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player — and leading Spain to victory.

I had to max out my two Cape Verde spots as they were the fairytale of the tournament, going unbeaten in the groups, including a goalless draw with Spain, and toe-to-toe with Argentina. The people have spoken, with Vozinha on close to 30 million Instagram followers, and Lopes was recruited off LinkedIn to play a blinder at the World Cup.

In defence, Spence didn’t start every game, but after fans questioned his inclusion by Thomas Tuchel, he turned out to be one of England’s most valuable contributors. Cubarsi was an assured presence in Spain’s back line at just 19 years old, and Munoz scored twice to help Colombia top Group K over Portugal. I wish I could include more Spain defenders considering they only conceded once.

Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Spain’s Mikel Merino were in with a shout in midfield, but there were a lot of attacking options to fit in.

Kane was one of the players of the tournament as well, but I chose the tournament top scorers, Mbappe and Messi, and record assist-maker Olise.

(Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In his first World Cup, Haaland helped knock Brazil out with a brace on the way to the quarter-finals, scoring seven goals and starting various rows.

Bellingham was the match-winner for England against Norway, and no Englishman has scored more World Cup goals at one tournament than his seven in this edition.