The FIFA World Cup has been somewhat predictable in recent days. Love it or hate it, only the best of the best still stand in this tournament and despite how great France has looked this tournament, Spain had all the answers in their matchup. On the other side of the bracket, Thomas Tuchel got everything wrong as Argentina found their magic once again.
Despite a nightmare final for German fans, it is always fun to speculate on what the best XI would be between the two finalists.
Goalkeeper: Emi Martínez (Argentina)
If we are going off
current form, the obvious pick would be Unai Simón, who has conceded just one goal all tournament. If Simón keeps a clean sheet in the final, we are seeing one of the most dominant defensive performances of all time. Despite current form, Martínez’s track record makes him the correct pick here and his ability to come up big when it counts most.
Left-back: Marc Cucurella (Spain)
This one hurts. As a German fan it takes letting go of a lot of resentment to give out this pick. While every German fan still has Cucurella’s infamous handball in their nightmares, the Chelsea fullback is the clear pick for the combined XI here. Cucurella is one of the unsung heroes of this team and while fullbacks rarely get the spotlight and glory, the Spaniard is a massive reason for his team’s success, especially in Euro 2024.
Central defenders: Aymeric Laporte (Spain) and Pau Cubarsí (Spain)
While Simón is taking all the glory this tournament, there’s a huge reason why Simón has been barely tested. Laporte brings massive experience while Cubarsí‘s youth makes this an elite backline. The 19-year-old is quietly drawing criticism but with the defensive record this team holds, sometimes you just have to celebrate talent when you see it.
Right-back: Pedro Porro (Spain)
A full Spanish backline? Yes. Don’t get me mixed up, I’m no Spanish fan but it is hard to make an argument that anyone on the Argentina backline deserves a spot in this combined XI. While Pedro Porro is not the star of this team, the Tottenham defender came up big in the semifinals and is the obvious pick of the bunch.
Is he the best-right back in the tournament? No, not even close. However, this Spanish team showed that it is more about beign a cohesive unit rather than pure starpower.
Midfield: Rodri (Spain), Enzo Fernández (Argentina), and Fabián Ruiz (Spain)
It is almost tiring giving each pick to Argentina thus far, but it is deserved. Rodri’s performance against France was as good as you’ll ever see. Keeping Kylian Mbappé and France’s starpower quiet is perhaps the greatest challenge any player can deal with, and he was virtually flawless.
As for Fabian Ruiz, here is a player that went under the radar until EURO 2024, where he was arguably the player of the tournament. While he hasn’t seen the same success this tournament, his ability is simply exceptional.
Enzo Fernández might be the best of the bunch as the Chelsea star has been brilliant this tournament. While Chelsea is rarely a hot topic in football these days, the Argentinian midfielder showed up in a big way this tournament and it is becoming hard to believe that one of the world’s best midfielders is okay without guaranteed Champions League football.
Wingers: Lamine Yamal (Spain) and Nico Williams (Spain)
Perhaps I am underestimating Argentina’s talent but the clear pick is the Spanish winger duo. While neither of these players are in their top form at the moment, the Euro 2024 superstars would be favored to deliver when it counts most in he final on Sunday.
Lamine Yamal is the Ballon d’Or favorite as it stands, and while he doesn’t deserve that based on his performance this tournament, you wouldn’t want to count him out.
Striker: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
While Lionel Messi has operated as more of a false nine this tournament, he isn’t necessarily labelled by one position. Wherever he is, the legendary player is the best option. Lionel Messi will win the Golden Boot this tournament, which is almost astonishing when you consider the fact that the former Barcelona star missed two penalty shots.
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