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One month of thrills and spills comes to an end with undoubtedly the best team in Spain walking away with the crown. The 2010 FIFA World Cup has provided all of us with some memorable moments whether it was Luis Suarez' "Hand of God save", Frank Lampard's goal that wasn't to be, the superheayweights bowing out early or the minnows Slovakia, Paraguay & Uruguay going further  and ofcourse the most annoying vuvuzelas. During the cut and thrust of a month long tournament there have been some superstars who have shown that they have the ability to go the distance and we decided to plug them into a 4-3-3 formation, to come up with our Team of the Tournament. Just for good measure, we threw in 5 substitutes that just failed to make the cut, but would be well capable of changing a game should they be called into action.

Well, Iker Casillas has to be between the sticks. The Real Madrid and now Spain's hero proved his worth and made some outstanding saves over the month long tournament, none better than the penalty save against the Paraguayans in the quarter-finals. Though he described the Jabulani as a beach ball, he mastered its movement and despite some uncomfortable moments made no mistakes . There were concerns raised by some sections of the Spanish media whether he was the right goalie following a mixed season with Real Madrid and maybe Pepe Reina was the better choice as he came to Liverpool's rescue quite a few times last season. However, Casillas has answered his critics in the most emphatic manner and proven that he is the world's best shot-stopper.

At the heart of defence we have Carles Puyol and Arne Friedrich. Puyol at the back was rock solid and with all his experience led his back-line really well. Also he provided a rough edge to the Spanish side, the quality of winning ugly. He played a significant role in not conceeding a single goal in the knock-out phase of the tournament. Friedrich too made a name for himself this summer with some brilliant tackling, good understanding and reading of the game and above all the no-nonsense approach that was on display by very few defenders. Not only at the back, both of them were a potent threat from dead-ball situations. Both got on the score-sheet and were inspirational figures for their respective sides.

On the right side of defence we have gone in with the German Captain Philipp Lahm. Lahm was the epitome of German spirit and determination. He made dazzling runs on the right flank and his delivery into the box was impressive. His defending deserves praise as well especially against Ghana in their final group game, where he made some vital challenges in desperate situations and kept a clean-sheet for his side. On the left, we have gone with Dutch veteran skipper Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but we have to admit this was a difficult choice and Jorge Fucile of Uruguay and Fabio Coentrao of Portugal ran him very close. Van Bronckhorst ushered his side well, provided stablity and discipline to the back-line and at the age of 35 years was tirelessly running on the left wing for his team. Also, he provided us with one of the goals of the tournament with a belter form 35 yards out in the semi-finals, a goal he will cherish for the rest of his life.

Bastian Schweinsteiger we feel is the obvious choice in the middle. The German midfielder was the quintessential leader for his team and played his heart out in the tournament. He rose to the big occcasion in the games against England and Argentina and dominated the midfield. His composure and organisation of a young German midfield was critical for the team's success. Whether, it was keeping the back door shut or getting Germany's slick passing game going, he was involved in every action and was indispensable for the team.

Xavi Hernadez completed more passes than any other player in the tournament and the Barcelona man finds his deserved place in the best eleven of the tournament. He was the architect of the Spanish side and created hosts of opportunities for David Villa and others. His exquisite passing range was on display, whether it were those diagonal balls or one-two movement or set-piece situatons, he was simply superb.

Wesley Sneijder completes the trio in the middle. Sneijder played some of the best football of his life and was the conductor of the Dutch orchestra. Remarkably, he also scored 5 goals from the middle and his perfectly timed late runs in the box were trouble for defenders all tournament long. Wreaking havoc in oppostion defences, he lit up the World stage.

Up front on the right hand side, we could think of none other than the 20 year old rising German star Thomas Muller. Golden Shoe winner, Muller at such a young age showed great character in controlling his nerves and performing at the biggest platform in the game. He already created a buzz in last year's Champions League when he kept Bayern's £30 million signing Mario Gomez on bench for most of the season with his impressive performances and he seems to have carried his glorious touch in this tournament. He was clinical with his finishing, his assists and some of his inter-change play with Mesut Ozil was sensational. He is one player to watch out for in the coming seasons.

On the left flank we have the Spanish hitman David Villa. The latest Barcelona recruit fired on all cylinders throughout the tournament and in some games single-handedly guided Spain over the finishing line. His finishing was sublime, his first-touch stunning and interestingly he played his best football when he was not the focal point of the attack. A relentless destroying force, he can be said as the World's best striker at this moment of time.

Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan completes our starting eleven. He has been highly under-rated throughout his career, none more so than at Manchester United, but this World Cup has enhanced his reputation to biblical proportions. The striker was in epic form and created opportunities from heaps of dust especially in the semi-finals against Holland when he scored a stupendous strike with his left foot from 25 yards at a time when the game was being dominated by the Dutch. He also came mighty close to take the third place playoff into extra time when his free-kick in the dying stages shook the woodwork. He will go down as one of the great players produced by Uruguay and was the man who took them so far in the tournament.

The Substitutes:

Dutchman Maarten Stekelenburg is our back-up keeper, just edging out Germany's Manuel Neuer. Mesut Ozil who now has become a household name and captivated all of us with his maverick trickery also features along with the hero of the final in Andres Iniesta. Both talented players were outstanding throughout the tournament and very incredibly unfortunate not to make the first eleven. They make the subs bench uncontested.

Veteran German striker Miroslav Klose narrowly edged Ghanaian hero Asamoah Gyan on our subs bench, and like most of his fans, we would have loved Klose to have got that 1 goal he needed to draw level with Ronaldo on top of the World Cup goalscoring charts. Mr. Clean Per Mertesacker completes our list of substitutes as well as our best team of this edition's World Cup, he is unlucky to lose a spot in the first eleven to his German teammate Friedrich, but just about keeps Joris Mathijsen out of our 'Team of the Tournament'!

Starting XI (4-3-3): Casillas; Lahm, Puyol, Friedrich, Van Bronckhorst; Schweinsteiger, Xavi, Sneijder; Muller, Villa, Forlan.

Super Subs: Stekelenburg, Mertesacker, Ozil, Iniesta, Klose.

Check out the World Cup's Worst XI

Photo by 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa

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