Who starts in the World Cup combined XI?

DF – Domagoj Vida

The Besiktas man put in one of the defensive showings of the entire four weeks against England.

Vida was a man-mountain for Croatia in the semi-final, covering Dejan Lovren with aplomb. The 29-year-old has been a bit of a revelation at this World Cup.

DF – Benjamin Pavard

Pavard makes the team for his strike against Argentina alone. In the pantheon of great World Cup goals, it would win an award for sheer beauty.

Thankfully, the Stuttgart flyer has even more to his game. He’s a rampaging full-back with high technical quality.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The Chelsea destroyer gets the nod at the base of the midfield. When it comes to defensive duties, there is nobody better at sweeping up danger.

CM – Paul Pogba

The Manchester United ace has had a quiet, but hugely effective tournament alongside Kante. Although more known for his attacking qualities, Pogba put in an ultra-disciplined performance against Belgium.

Allied to his other attributes, he’s a no-brainer in this particular line-up.

CM – Luka Modric

What more can you say about Modric? The 32-year-old is simply the best midfielder in the world. He ran the show against England.

And the Real star has done against his opponents for much of the four weeks in Russia. He plays in a more advanced role in the XI.

FW – Kylian Mbappe

19-year-olds don’t come with more star quality than Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain ace has underlined his world-class ability with some amazing performances in Russia.

He’s terrified defences all tournament and a post-World Cup move to Madrid looks in the offing.

FW – Ante Rebic

Rebic has been the pick of the Croatian forwards in Russia. His incisive movement and running of the channels has been hugely impressive.

And his goal against Argentina was pretty spectacular, too.

FW – Antoine Griezmann

We’re going with three flyers up top so there’s no room for a carthorse like Olivier Giroud. Griezmann hasn’t overly impressed during this tournament granted.

But the Atletico Madrid front-runner has at least scored a couple of goals and generally looks a huge threat during games. He completes a star-studded team.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing