Pick your fave players from the World Cup group matches

[Moon Utd]

In tribute to all 32 teams we’ve seen, here’s my monster 60-man squad to highlight the players who I have enjoyed watching so far in the World Cup. I’m representing each country at least once. Make your own list below if you’re not happy!

GOAL
Diego Benaglio (Switzerland)
Júlio César (Brazil)
Fernando Muslera (Uruguay)
Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Mark Paston (New Zealand)
Maarten Stekelenburg (The Netherlands)

DEFENCE
Daniel Agger (Denmark)
Nadir Belhadj (Algeria)
Mišo Brečko (Slovenia)
Steve Cherundolo (USA)
Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)
Fábio Coentrão (Portugal)
Stéphane Grichting (Switzerland)
Philipp Lahm (Germany)
Stephan Lichtsteiner (Switzerland)
Diego Lugano (Uruguay)
Maicon (Brazil)
Rafael Márquez (Mexico)
Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand)
Gerard Piqué (Spain)
Lee Young-Pyo (South Korea)
Winston Reid (New Zealand)
Carlos Salcido (Mexico)
Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Japan)
John Terry (England)

MIDFIELD
Anthony Annan (Ghana)
Valter Birsa (Slovenia)
Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana)
Michael Bradley (USA)
Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria)
Brett Holman (Australia)
Keisuke Honda (Japan)
Mesut Özil (Germany)
Wilson Palacios (Honduras)
Cristian Riveros (Paraguay)
Wesley Sneijder (The Netherlands)
Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast)
Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)
Kalu Uche (Nigeria)
Arturo Vidal (Chile)

ATTACK
Clint Dempsey (USA)
Landon Donovan (USA)
Ángel Di María (Argentina)
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico)
Elano (Brazil)
Diego Forlán (Uruguay)
Geremi (Cameroon)
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina)
Milan Jovanović (Serbia)
Raul Meireles (Portugal)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Katlego Mphela (South Africa)
Franck Ribéry (France)
Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark)
Georgios Samaras (Greece)
Alexis Sánchez (Chile)
Jong Tae-Se (North Korea)
David Villa (Spain)
Róbert Vittek (Slovakia)

[JJtheRed]

Barrera (Mehico)
Elia (Holland)

Some of the African keepers have been good (and bad)

[piazza]

I'm bummed Tshabalalalalalalalala is gone. Loved watching that dude.

[Moon Utd]

Barrera (Mehico)
Elia (Holland)

Some of the African keepers have been good (and bad)

I thought about Elia but he's only had a little over an hour on the pitch in three sub appearances so even though I found him exciting to watch, I was going for guys who have played the best part of all three matches.

[rooney1992]

Portugals keeper Eduardo. I know he hasn't really been tested, but when he has been tested he's made some great saves. He has also kept a clean sheet in all of Portugals group games so far, so I reckon he deserves a mention.

[jorgefoo]

Enyeama (Nigeria)
Honda (Japan)
Kjaer (Danmark)
Fábio Coentrão (Portugal)
Messi (Argentina)
Özil (Germany)

[abojodeh]

Vidic
Krasic
Jovanović
Šesták
Fabiano
Tshabalala
Hernandez
Forlan
Suarez


I enjoyed those players.

[dualtamac]

Here's my team of the tournament thus far:

Muslera

Maicon Reid Terry Coentrao

Annan Schweinsteiger

Ayew Honda Ozil

Villa

Subs:
Enyeama
Lahm
Nelsen
Bradley
Prince-Boateng
Donovan
Forlan

[JJtheRed]

I'm bummed Tshabalalalalalalalala is gone. Loved watching that dude.

WILL be my drunken word! Next time I drink.....

I thought about Elia but he's only had a little over an hour on the pitch in three sub appearances so even though I found him exciting to watch, I was going for guys who have played the best part of all three matches.

S'pose.... Fair do's Moon

[hdcantona]

------------------------Eduardo

V.D.Wiel------Agger----------Chiellini-------Lahm

Dos Santos-----------Bradley----------Tshabalala

-------------------------Ozil

------------Donovan-----------Forlan


Some players are a little out of place, I know, but that's probably my favourite XI of the players so far.

[rooney1992]

------------------------Eduardo

V.D.Wiel------Agger----------Chiellini-------Lahm

Dos Santos-----------Bradley----------Tshabalala

-------------------------Ozil

------------Donovan-----------Forlan


Some players are a little out of place, I know, but that's probably my favourite XI of the players so far.

Chiellini? I thought he played terrible in all of Italys group stages games. Would't want him as a replacement for Vidic if he decides to leave old trafford.

[hdcantona]

I liked him, it's about picking your favourites so far, not the best, which is why Van Der Wiel is in there despite being average, and Chilellini. I wouldn't be happy with him instead of vidic, because I don't want Vida to leave, but you could do a lot worse.

[thekeanefella]

Gerard Piqué (Spain)
Philipp Lahm (Germany)

Mesut Özil (Germany)
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico)
Alexis Sánchez (Chile)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)
Seba Veron (Argentina)
Diego Forlán (Uruguay)

i have missed a lot of the early kick off games but from the games i have seen these have impressed me most.

[piazza]

WILL be my drunken word! Next time I drink.....

Went skinny dipping Wednesday night, and every time I dropped trow, I made sure to yell it out. Fantastic last name.

[Parksey10]

I was actually going to make a thread on this.

Here's my team of the group stage:

---------------Enyeama
Wilkshire----Nelson---Carvalho---Coentrao
----------Tiago------Marquez
Sanchez-------Honda-------Oezil
-----------------Forlan

It's hard to leave out so many players who have impressed; such as Lucio, Messi, Demichelis, Dos Santos, Donovan etc etc. I'm not sure why I've got 3 Portuguese players in the side but they have been outstanding players for me. Nelson carried NZ throughout the group stage, and if they had got through it would be because of his heroic defending.

[Moon Utd]

Since you've gone for line-ups, I'll commit to choosing 11 from my list of 60! Loads of personal bias in this.

Ok .............


------------------------------- Diego Benaglio -------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------(Switzerland)----------------------------------------------


Steve Cherundolo ----- Winston Reid ---- Stéphane Grichting --- Lee Young-Pyo
---------(USA)--------------(New Zealand)----------(Switzerland)---------(South Korea)


------------------------------ Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria)-----------------------------------


------------ Keisuke Honda (Japan) -------------- Arturo Vidal (Chile)------------------


-----------Landon Donovan (USA) ------------ Diego Forlán (Uruguay)----------------


-------------------------------Katlego Mphela (South Africa)---------------------------

[Pinky]

Donovan has been outstanding so far. Knew he'd be good but not this impressive

[Moon Utd]

Donovan has been outstanding so far. Knew he'd be good but not this impressive

Yeah absolutely, but he seemed to find his form at Everton. He really went up a notch playing in the Premier League.

The thing I went for in my XI above was work rate. I love that from 1 to 11 each of those players put it all on the line in the tournament so far. Benaglio has been a rock in goal for the Swiss, with Grichting in front of him. Reid for New Zealand, Lee for South Korea, Cherundolo for the USA, Vidal's tackling and passing for Chile, Etuhu running all over for Nigeria, the skill of Honda and Forlan, and non-stop running of Donovan and Mphela.

[dlan4327]

Every single Slovakian player who was on the field against Italy. What a match.

[marty davidson]

Messi enough said