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Spain are FIFA World Cup champions for the second time after a 1-0 extra-time victory over Lionel Messi and Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday to end the biggest edition of the tournament in history.
With the inaugural 48-team World Cup now concluded, there were many players who put together fabulous performances throughout the tournament. But only 11 can be selected for the World Cup Best XI.
So as the world looks back on an incredible tournament, here is FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas’ World Cup Best XI.
Unai Simón finishes after winning the Golden Glove.
It was a historic World Cup campaign for Simón, who kept seven clean sheets and conceded just one goal. It was the fewest goals conceded by a team on its way to winning a World Cup.
Simón was decisive with his shot-stopping, ability to play from the back and his sweeper role, constantly sniffing out attacks coming in from behind Spain’s back line.
Marc Cucurella came into this tournament widely recognized as one of the leading left backs in the world and he showed that at the World Cup.
He was defensively solid in the best defense in the tournament, while also being a constant presence in attack with his energy to get up and down the pitch.
Aymeric Laporte turned back the clock with a stunning World Cup for Spain, anchoring the backline as the experienced partner alongside teenage centre-back Pau Cubarsí.
Laporte helped lead a defense that conceded the fewest goals ever by a World Cup winning team. His ability to play from the back and his defensive stability were cornerstones for Spain throughout the tournament.
Cristian Romero was a key part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning campaign and he continued to be one in this tournament.
Not only was he willing to put it all on the line defensively, but he also excelled in the frontcourt as a scoring threat. That included his goal against Egypt to bring Argentina back into that match, as well as the header disallowed as an own goal to win the round of 16 against Cape Verde.
Pedro Porro showed his true level for Spain at this World Cup.
After an inconsistent season at Tottenham, Porro put together a strong tournament. Spain initially started Marcos Llorente at right back, but Porro eventually earned the starting spot and became a key player throughout the tournament.
He was not only solid defensively but also a presence in attack, scoring in the round of 16 against Austria and again in the semi-final against France.
Rodri won the Golden Ball as the best player in the best team and he played at a high level throughout the World Cup.
He showed signs of the level he was at before he tore his ACL following his Ballon d’Or and EC-winning campaign.
Rodri’s decision-making, processing speed and defensive strength in front of Laporte and Cubarsí was massive for Spain. After this tournament, Rodri could be on his way to another Ballon d’Or.
Jude Bellingham had a monster tournament, scoring seven goals from midfield.
The capacity he showed to get into the box was immense and his clutch moments were on another level. Whenever England were in a hole and needed someone to pull it out, Bellingham seemed to be there to show his class and score important goals.
Michael Olise is as silky smooth as a footballer can be and he showed his quality and creativity at this World Cup.
Despite not scoring a single goal, his tournament was fabulous because of the creativity he brought to France. Olise allowed the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué to flourish because of how consistently he created chances.
Olise finished with seven assists, breaking Pelé’s record for most assists recorded at a single World Cup.
Kylian Mbappé had 10 goals at this World Cup, won the Golden Boot and played a huge role in France’s semi-final run.
He scored in the round of 16, round of 16 and quarter-finals, then added two more goals in the third-place tie against England.
Mbappé also broke the record for most career goals scored at the World Cup, moving to 22. With what he has already done on this stage, Mbappé now has a serious case as the greatest World Cup player in history.
Erling Haaland had a World Cup campaign that people will tell stories about for years.
His seven goals were incredibly important in taking Norway to the quarter-finals in their first World Cup campaign since 1998.
This Norwegian team won two knockout games, with Haaland scoring the winner in both. He scored the late winner against Ivory Coast in the Round of 16 and then scored twice to help Norway beat Brazil in the Round of 16.
At 39, Lionel Messi had about as good a campaign as a person in any sport can have at that age.
He brought himself back into the conversation as one of the best players in the world, playing lights out with eight goals and four assists as he put Argentina on his back and made it to the final.
Although Argentina fell short against Spain, Messi’s tournament was another reminder of his greatness.
