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Central Defensive Midfielder: N'Golo Kante (France)
N'Golo Kante's phenomenal career continues to astound us. In three years, the little man rose from the sixth to first division of French football. After getting a move to Leicester City in England, the man stunningly played a pivotal role in two consecutive shock Premier League triumphs with different clubs, and he collected numerous individual accolades on the way.
The man has been invaluable whichever team he has played for and he showed his immense worth again in Russia for France. The Frenchman was key in snuffing out dangerous attacks, and his presence as a defensive shield also allowed Paul Pogba to express himself in a way that he has been unable to for Manchester United.
Kante is not a player who is the most pleasing on the eye. He would not even figure in the goals and assists chart, but would be there at the top of everything that relates to the defensive aspect of the game, despite being a midfielder. The Chelsea star possesses bundles and bundles of energy and at times it feels as if he's there all over the pitch. He doesn't mind doing all the dirty work for his team and he does it with utmost dedication. Kante is one player every team dreams to have.
Central Midfield: Paul Pogba (France)
This is the tournament where Pogba shut all his critics with influential showings. Paul Pogba has often found himself on the firing end since his move to Manchester United, but he has gone on to produce career-defining performances, which will have a special place in the hearts of the French fans.
Pogba was allowed to play a more attacking role in the knock-out stages by Didier Deschamps, thanks to Kante's presence and the box-to-box midfielder made full use of that freedom. He began with a good game against Australia and he was rewarded with a lucky goal, which was later credited as an own-goal by the Australian defender. Two lacklustre French displays against Peru and Denmark made Deschamps realize his mistake and he let Pogba bombard into the opposition box. He caused countless problems to the Argentine defense and his teammates benefitted from those. Yet, he came into the final without a goal to his name and doubts still hovering above him.
It was in the biggest game of his career, that he showed the world his full potential. The 25-year old orchestrated all the attacks from midfield and his runs into the box caused the Croatian defense lot of trouble. It was in one such attack that he decided the tournament. His left-foot curler into the top corner killed Croatia's spirit and instilled belief that France were indeed going to be champions.
Pogba's importance to this team could be missed behind the numbers as it was Mbappe and Griezmann who stole all the headlines. But, it was Pogba who was the architect of most of the French attack with his masterful control and passing.
Right Wing: Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium)
This is a year where de Bruyne has grown from a talented midfielder to one who is the best in the business. Kevin de Bruyne controls the pace and tempo of the game like Paul Scholes and Xavi used to and yet he has an attacking influence that the best number 10s in the world do. After a fantastic record-breaking season for Manchester City, de Bruyne carried his excellent form into the World Cup. The Manchester City man alongside Hazard and Lukaku formed a formidable front three that left defenders worried.
His ability to pick the most outrageous passes were on display in Russia and he was the orchestrator behind most of Belgium's goals. He manufactured most of the goals in the Group stages and then turned it on in the knockout stages. With the score deadlocked at 2-2 in the final stages of the second round clash against Japan, it was his breathtaking run that created the final minute goal that took Belgium into the quarterfinals. However, his most influential performance came in the quarterfinal against favorites Brazil.
It was the 27-year old's rocket from outside the box that gave Belgium a 2-0 lead, which ultimately proved crucial as Belgium just about sneaked through. The only off-game that he had was in the semifinal against France, and that proved crucial as Belgium missed were unable to find the back of the net in his absence. He ended the tournament in fine style by providing the assist for Thomas Meunier's opener in the third-place match against England.
Left Wing: Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Eden Hazard was named as Belgium's captain, despite Vincent Komany's presence in the side and the former led from the front to take the Belgium side to their best ever finish. The current Belgian team is considered to be one of the world's best and inarguably the country's best ever, thus earning the tag of 'Golden Generation'. This was exemplified by their fleet-footed marauding skipper- Hazard. Hazard, was arguably the most consistent player of the tournament, as it's hard to think of a game where he was not troubling the opposition. He tortured every defense in his way and ended the tournament with three goals and two assists.
Hazard's fine form on the left wing allowed Lukaku to blossom and he stretched the attacks with his lightning pace. He was also as clinical as ever, and formed a scary front three alongside Lukaku and de Bruyne. Hazard did everything his manager asked him to right from creating attacks, to delivering passes to scoring goals. But one notable aspect of his game was to win tactical fouls in the final third to create set-pieces or consume more time, and this is highlighted by the 27 fouls he won. Until their exit, Belgium were definitely the most thrilling team to watch and it was their skipper who was dominating proceedings.
The Chelsea forward was also a strong contender for the Golden Ball, and he might have well walked away with the prize had Belgium made it to the final. Yet, he heads back with his head held high, having made himself the darling of the nation.
Hazard's sensational performances have also attracted the attention of Real Madrid, and Hazard is the top contender to replace Cristiano Ronaldo's massive shoes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
