Here is Dhaka Tribune Sport's best XI of the Fifa World Cup 2022 Qatar, with four players from champions Argentina, three from runners-up France, and two each from semi-finalists Croatia and Morocco.
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
The former Arsenal goalkeeper's heroic displays in Qatar were the extension of the best times of his career in the last two years. He was rock solid between the posts when La Albiceleste needed him the most, especially during the penalty shootouts against the Netherlands in the last eight and France in the final, leaving no doubt why he won the Golden Glove award.
Defenders
Theo Hernandez (France)
The AC Milan left-back was brought into the opening game against Australia as an early substitute in place of his injured brother Lucas Hernandez. Along with carrying on his defensive role quite robustly, the 25-year old also banged a sensational acrobatic goal against Morocco in the semi-final.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
The youngest member in our team, the 20-year old center-back was one of the standout performers at the biggest stage of football. He was agile, powerful and always watchful to help his side sweep into the semis, and also scored once against Morocco in the third-place play-off.
Romain Saiss (Morocco)
A fully fit Moroccan captain's absence was felt during the semi-final and third-place play-off as his side lost both games, conceding four times. But when he was available in the heart of defence, the Atlas Lions leaked only once, that too an own-goal from Nayef Aguerd, in the previous five outings.
Nahuel Molina (Argentina)
The Atletico Madrid right-back only made his international debut last year but it took little time for him to glue with the rest of the teammates and build up a world champion side. He put in valuable contributions throughout the tournament. He also netted a brilliant goal against the Dutch in the knockouts, his first in Argentina jersey.
Midfielders
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
The defensive midfielder was the workhorse of the tournament, and the blueprint behind his side's historic journey to the semi-final. His immense skill in ball recoveries, winning duels and possession over the opponents placed him above all others in the vital position in front of back-four.
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
What an incredible World Cup experience it was for the Benfica midfielder after making his senior team debut only three months ago. The 21-year old was combative in duels, protected the space and stationed himself in the right place at the right time to intercept key passes, and navigated the Argentine midfield like a shining jewel.
Luka Modric (Croatia)
The veteran superstar shone brightly and led the side with his vision, character and mindset. Many of his moves and ball distributions were outstanding, like he always did in his long and illustrious career. He ended third in the race for the Golden Ball after helping the Croats to an eventual third-place finish.
Antoine Griezmann (France)
With some blistering performances throughout the tournament until the final, he quite enjoyed his new role as link-up man in Les Bleus side. While doing a laudable job to combine the midfield and forward line together, he also contributed defensively by putting up some impressive challenges inside the danger zone.
Forwards
Kylian Mbappe (France)
One of the game's biggest wonders lifted his heights to a whole new level to draw comparisons with the tournament's all-time greatest, Pele. With blistering pace, stunning skill and lethal power, the Paris Saint Germain superstar bagged as many as eight goals to grab the Golden Boot award and also sealed second spot in Golden Ball race.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
The veteran captain sailed the ship with elegance, like he never did before. While guiding and inspiring the younger teammates towards accomplishing a long-cherished dream, the irrepressible magician bagged seven goals and provided two of the best assists of the meet to claim the prestigious Golden Ball award.
Manager
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
Perhaps after Messi, no man deserved more credit than the 44-year old tactician in pursuit of ultimate glory. The former national defender tweaked his formation and strategy for every match according to the merit of the opponents, never dared to drop key players to execute own game-plan, strung together the players into one solid unit and eventually tasted success.
