Qatar World Cup's best XI

After a month-long drama, tears and triumphs, agonies and ecstasies, the Greatest Show on Earth is over. Some of the world's finest players delivered, some faced premature exits and names that were nowhere near the reckoning grabbed headlines. 

It's a tough job to select only 11 players out of so many outstanding performers and the list of "special mention" will be quite long as multiple players will compete for one spot. The Business Standard (TBS) attempts to do what they do after every big tournament ends. 

We have set up this side in 4-4-2 and given importance to players' performance in key moments, especially knockout games. 

Goalkeeper:

Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)
The Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper was probably Croatia's most important figure in the World Cup where they finished third. He was the hero of - not one but - two penalty shootouts in the knockout stage. No one made more saves than Livakovic in the tournament and he delivered big time whenever his team needed him to stand up. 

Special mentions: Emiliano Martinez, Yassine Bounou, Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders:

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Known to be more of an attacking fullback, Achraf Hakimi showed the other side of his game in the World Cup. He held firm against the world's top attackers, leading the total tackles and positions won in the defensive third. Hakimi made an appreciable number of recoveries and also is in the top five for interceptions.

Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
The young Josko Gvardiol probably will be remembered for that "moment of humiliation" from Lionel Messi but that cannot take anything away from the magnificent performance that he put on in the tournament. He was excellent in covering the space behind their left back and his performance in big games especially against Belgium and Brazil won laurels.

Nicolas Otamendi (Argentina)
All of us know that Lionel Messi didn't miss a single second of Argentina's World Cup campaign so far. There is one other player who fought with his all on the pitch. Everyone believed Nicolas Otamendi's best days were behind him but the veteran defender used his wealth of experience to safeguard Argentina. He has so far won more aerial duels than any other player in the tournament and his warrior-like mentality came to the fore when the team required. 

Theo Hernandez (France) 
Theo Hernandez might not have featured much in the World Cup if his brother Lucas had not been injured. His goal in the semifinal against a nagging Morocco gave them a much-needed lead, eventually helping France make the World Cup final. Playing behind Kylian Mbappe down the left-hand side, Hernandez gave them an attacking boost with two assists in the group stage. He made defensive errors at times but performed in key moments for France.

Honourable mentions: Ibrahima Konate, Raphael Varane, Roman Saiss, Jurien Timber

Midfielders:

Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
He was an unknown commodity before the World Cup but Sofyan Amrabat grew in stature with every passing game and was Morocco's one of the best players in the tournament. It won't be an overstatement to call him one of the best midfielders of the World Cup. Amrabat made more recoveries than anyone else and his authoritative defending up against Kylian Mbappe was one of the highlights of Morocco's defending might. 

Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) 
The introduction of Enzo Fernandez to the Argentine midfield proved to be a masterstroke as he made an immediate impact in the do-or-die match against Mexico. The Benfica man hasn't looked back since that all-important goal that kept Argentina in the tournament and was instrumental in earning a penalty against Croatia. Lionel Messi describes him as a "spectacular talent" and the big European clubs are likely to break the bank for him in near future.

Luka Modric (Croatia)
The 37-year-old Luka Modric put on yet another solid performance in his last World Cup. Modric shone in the midfield for Croatia throughout the tournament and was decent in the semifinal loss to Argentina as well. Before being subbed off in the 81st minute, Modric looked probably Croatia's best bet to do something extraordinary. But the way he controlled the game with his brilliance and brought fluidity to it was commendable. 

Antoine Griezmann (France)
Griezmann was terrific the last time France lifted the title but not many expected him to be this good in this World Cup as well. He has been arguably the best France player in this campaign and so many times in the game, he was found at the right time at the right place. He has been the nucleus of the side, the heart of the midfield and the three assists he has so far speak about his work on the pitch. 

Honourable mentions: Mateo Kovacic, Azzedine Ounahi, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham

Forwards: 

Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Lionel Messi broke records after records in the tournament. He scored in every knockout game, turned assist provider and has arguably been the finest player of the tournament. No one had more shots on target than him ahead of the final and hit targets at the appropriate time with brilliant precision. And most importantly, at the age of 35, he didn't miss a single second of Argentina's time in the World Cup on the pitch.

Kylian Mbappe (France) 
Kylian Mbappe lit up the World Cup again with his searing pace, devastating accuracy and electric presence. Mbappe scored goals and even when he was not scoring them, he created chances by creating crucial openings. The opposition defenders seem to cling on to the Frenchman but he found ways to contribute prolifically in the World Cup just like the 2018 campaign. 

Honourable mentions: Julian Alvarez, Olivier Giroud, Ivan Perisic