It was curtains for FIFA World Cup 2018 on Sunday, 15 July, after France lifted the trophy in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. France beat Croatia 4-2 in the final to bring home their second World Cup trophy.
France grabbed eyeballs throughout this edition of the competition. Many pre-tournament favourites ended up biting the dust, while new footballing nations came to the fore.
Not a single team or player excelled this time; instead there were many stars who shone brightly in Russia.
The Quint has come up with its playing XI, comprising players who made their presence felt in the competition.
We have decided to go with a 4-3-2-1 formation. Croatian captain and winner of The Golden Ball in Russia Luka Modric will be leading the side and French coach Didier Deschamps will be managing it.
Here’s a look at The Quint’s FIFA World Cup XI.
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
The Golden Glove winner of FIFA World Cup 2018 is an obvious choice for the goalkeeper spot. With 27 saves and 7 clearances, Courtois played a vital role in Belgium’s progress in the tournament. The Chelsea keeper played all seven games for his side and had the best save rate of 81.8%.
Benjamin Pavard (France)
The 22-year-old was a surprise selection at the start of the tournament, but by the end of it, Pavard has shown enough potential to justify his place in France’s playing XI. With Pavard, it looks like France have found a dependable and consistent defender down the right flank. Apart from his defensive duty, he has scored one beauty of a goal against Argentina in Russia.
Raphael Varane (France)
The Real Madrid defender Varane is best suited for the job in central defense. With 44 clearance and 7 intercepts, Varane has done a job par excellence and has helped France keep a clean sheet in their four out of seven matches. Adding to his defending skills, Varane also scored a goal against Uruguay with a wonderful header from a corner-kick.
Vincent Kompany (Belgium)
Despite missing Belgium’s first two games, Kompany played a stellar role in the rest of the matches to help Belgium finish third in the tournament. His 22 clearance and 4 blocks were crucial, especially against teams like Brazil and England, and in their round of 16 match against Japan, who were in the mood for an upset.
Marcelo (Brazil)
The Brazilian, as always, ran the entire length of the pitch in all the matches and did well with his crosses in the box. With nine key passes and four crosses, Marcelo did what he does best for Brazil. In the entire tournament, he had a pass success percentage of over 80%. In Brazil’s final match of the World Cup, Marcelo tried his best with 3 crosses at a pass success percentage of 92% but still couldn’t take Brazil over the line.
Kylian Mbappe (France)
The 19-year-old is certainly France’s player of the tournament. Mbappe came into the tournament with lot of hype and he certainly didn’t disappoint. He lit the competition in Russia with his electric run down the right flank. His performance against Argentina in the round of 16 match has to be his best in the tournament.
Luka Modric (Croatia)
The Croatian captain has led his side from the front to take them to their first World Cup final and is one half of the famous Croatian midfield. Playing in a more attacking role, Modric certainly played his part in making Croatia the best attacking team of the tournament with 352 attacks. Apart from initiating all those build-ups, Modric also scored two goals in tournament which includes a stunner from outside the box against Argentina during the group stages.
Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium)
The Belgian forward has been crucial in Belgium’s quest to finish as the best team in the tournament. Apart from that winner against Brazil, De Bruyne has played numerous long balls and has been involved in 23 key passes, which explains Belgium’s tally of 16 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
A hat-trick against Spain in Portugal’s first match of the World Cup, which included probably the best goal of the competition, Ronaldo tried his best to replicate Portugal’s Euro success. The 33-year-old Portuguese forward scored four goals for his side and was in top form till Portugal were in the competition.
Antoine Griezmann (France)
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The Frenchman opened the scoring for his team in Russia. Griezmann scored four goals for France and took at least 22 shots on goal. In the final too Griezmann successfully converted a penalty to give France a 2-1 lead. The Atletico Madrid star was involved in all the matches and also played a crucial role in them.
Harry Kane (England)
The English captain scored five goals in his first two matches. Kane single-handedly led the revival of the ‘Three Lions’ at the world cups. He may have failed to score in his last three games of the World Cup, but he looked strong for England up front. He ended the tournament with six goals. One of the best contenders for the finishers job in Russia.
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