Top of the top: The Best XI of World Cup 2014

Upsets, goals, annoying extra-time periods, penalty shootouts and goalkeeping heroics — World Cup 2014 was a cracking tournament that kept you guessing and produced a brilliant final too. It had some duds and some fantastic performances — making heroes out of players who the world rarely heard about.

Considering all that — and their team’s performances — we’ve come up with our Best XI of World Cup 2014

Manuel Neuer (GK): With four cleansheets and just four goals conceded in the World Cup, Neuer is easily one of the most reliable man between the sticks. He has a penchant for making the stunning look routine and an almost cold-blooded method of manning his area as we saw in the final when he went for a ruthless punch as Gonzalo Higuain tried to reach a dangerous lob. He has 12 successful claims with 100 percent success.

Phillip Lahm (RB): Lahm has made a successful transition from right-back to midfield, but Joachim Loew shifted his skipper back into defence after the 2-2 draw with Ghana and it worked to perfection. There is probably no better right-back in the world at the moment — he has made only four passes less than Toni Kroos who is the tournament’s leading passer, and that says a lot about his array of skills and reliability.

Ron Vlaar (CB): Who expected Aston Villa’s Vlaar to feature on this list? But Louis Van Gaal trusted the centre-back and he delivered with class. Vlaar had the tournament of his life as he settled into a back-three, making 21 interceptions, blocking five shots and clearing the ball 69 times. He also committed just five fouls in theentire tournament and won a whopping 82% of his aerial duels.

Matts Hummels (CB): Hummels has the most number of interceptions in the German squad and replaced Per Mertesacker in the team after the Arsenal man had a couple of shaky games. Apart from being adept at defending, Hummels proved to be a great asset at set-pieces, scoring twice in the tournament, including the only goal against France.

Daley Blind (LB): Blind made an excellent start to the World Cup with three assists in two games and also scored against Brazil in the third-place playoff match. His form did taper off in the late stages and he was shifted around but remained a vital cog in the Dutch team. No other left-back impressed as much as Blind.

Lionel Messi (AMC): Messi is here because of his sheer goal-scoring abilities. The Golden Ball winner helped Argentina to narrow wins over Bosnia-Hercegovina, Nigeria and Iran – and all his goals were tremendous strikes. Also assisted Angel di Maria’s goal against Switzerland.

James Rodriguez (AML): You can’t stop praising Rodriguez – Colombia’s new star impressed one and all with his dribbling, positioning, ability to stitch attacks and finish with aplomb. Delivered the goal of the tournament with a stunning volley against Uruguay and showed a silky touch in the game against Japan. With six goals, two assists and nine key passes – many could argue that he should have won the Golden Ball.

Javier Mascherano (DMC): Argentina’s former skipper played with great pride in the middle of the park – putting his body on the line and making the most number of tackles in the tournament. Mascherano also rallied his team when they needed a boost and it was his presence that allowed Argentina’s talented attackers to stay farther up the pitch and break without worrying about having to track back.

Arjen Robben (AMR): Call him a diver but you cannot deny his incredible talent. When Robben gets going, no one can stop him. He was the fastest player at the World Cup and his continuous forays into the opposition half gave the Dutch an edge unlike any other team. Robben laid on a goal, scored three and won 68% of his dribbles. Also won the Dutch the penalty against Mexico and converted his spot-kick with aplomb against Costa Rica in the shootout.

Toni Kroos (MC): If you thought Toni Kroos was all about passing, then think twice. The central midfielder also won 60% of his tackles, took 16 shots (eight on target) and scored a couple of goals. But Kroos is a midfield general in the real sense of the word — controlling the tempo of Germany’s attack with his 522 accurate passes.

Thomas Mueller (ST): Mueller is the perfect forward, applying himself across the attacking third in a way very few players can in the world. His contributions range from passing, crossing, getting stuck in and positioning himself in key areas to finish attacks. His five goals and three assists prove that he’s a player who can walk into any team.

Substitutes: Tim Howard, Guillermo Ochoa, Ezequiel Garay, Sami Khedira, Alexis Sanchez, Ricardo Rodriguez, Thiago Silva, Angel di Maria, Karim Benzema, Arturo Vidal, Neymar, Andre Schurrle.