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Spain is the FIFA World Cup champion for the second time ever after a 1-0 extra-time victory over Lionel Messi and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday to close the largest edition of the tournament in history. With the first 48-team World Cup now complete, there were many players who put together fabulous performances throughout the tournament. But only 11 can be picked for the World Cup Best XI. So as the world looks back on an unbelievable tournament, here is FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas’ World Cup Best XI. Unai Simón gets in goal after winning the Golden Glove. It was a historic World Cup campaign for Simón, who kept seven clean sheets and conceded only one goal. That was the fewest goals conceded by a team on the way to winning a World Cup. Simón was pivotal with his shot-stopping, his ability to play out from the back and his sweeper-keeper role, constantly sniffing out attacks coming in behind Spain’s back line. Marc Cucurella came into this tournament widely recognized as one of the premier left backs in the world, and he showed that at the World Cup. He was defensively stable in the best defense in the tournament while also being a constant presence in attack with his energy to go up and down the pitch. Aymeric Laporte turned back the clock with a great World Cup for Spain, anchoring the back line as the experienced partner next to teenage center back Pau Cubarsí. Laporte helped lead a defense that conceded the fewest goals ever by a World Cup-winning team. His ability to play out from the back and his defensive stability were cornerstones for Spain throughout the tournament. Cristian Romero was a vital piece of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning campaign, and he continued to be one in this tournament. Not only was he willing to put everything on the line defensively, but he also made an impact in the attacking box as a goalscoring threat. That included his goal against Egypt to bring Argentina back into that match, as well as the header that was deflected in as an own goal to win the round of 32 match against Cape Verde. Pedro Porro showed his true level playing for Spain at this World Cup. After an inconsistent season at Tottenham, Porro put together a strong tournament. Spain initially started Marcos Llorente at right back, but Porro eventually earned the starting spot and became a key player throughout the tournament. He was not only solid defensively, but also a presence in attack, scoring in the round of 32 against Austria and again in the semifinal against France. Rodri won the Golden Ball as the best player on the best team, playing at a high level throughout the World Cup. He showed signs of the level he had before tearing his ACL following his Ballon d’Or and European Championship-winning campaign. Rodri’s decision-making, processing speed and defensive strength in front of Laporte and Cubarsí were massive for Spain. After this tournament, Rodri could be on his way to a second Ballon d’Or. Jude Bellingham had a monster tournament, scoring seven goals from midfield. The capacity he showed to arrive in the box was tremendous, and his clutch moments were on a different level. Every time England was in a hole and needed someone to pull it out, Bellingham seemed to be there showing his class and scoring vital goals. Michael Olise is as silky as a footballer can get, and he showed his quality and creativity at this World Cup. Despite not scoring a single goal, his tournament was fabulous because of the creativity he provided for France. Olise allowed players like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué to flourish because of how consistently he created chances. Olise finished with seven assists, breaking Pelé’s record for the most assists recorded at a single World Cup. Kylian Mbappé had 10 goals at this World Cup, won the Golden Boot and played a huge role in France’s run to the semifinals. He scored in the round of 32, round of 16 and quarterfinals, and then added two more goals in the third-place match against England. Mbappé also broke the record for most career goals scored at the World Cup, moving to 22. With what he has already done on this stage, Mbappé now has a serious case as the greatest World Cup player in history. Erling Haaland had a World Cup campaign that people will tell stories about for years. His seven goals were incredibly vital in taking Norway to the quarterfinals in its first World Cup campaign since 1998. This Norway side won two knockout-stage games, with Haaland scoring the winner in both. He scored the late winner against Ivory Coast in the round of 32, then scored twice to help Norway stun Brazil in the round of 16. At 39, Lionel Messi had about as good of a campaign as an individual in any sport can have at that age. He brought himself back into the conversation as one of the best players in the world, playing lights out with eight goals and four assists while putting Argentina on his back and taking it to the final. Even though Argentina fell short against Spain, Messi’s tournament was another reminder of his greatness.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s already tough enough as it is to pick an All-American team every year, but FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt took on an even tougher challenge: naming an All-Century Team. In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt picked which players have been the best at each position in college football since the turn of the century. That leads to plenty of debates at several positions, including quarterback. Four quarterbacks have won the Heisman, a national championship and have been the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft since 2000. And that list doesn’t include other talented college quarterbacks, like Vince Young, Tim Tebow and Matt Leinart. That’s just one of the many debates Klatt had to solve when picking his All-Century Team, as he also named finalists for each position. Let’s take a look at his All-Century Team as we’re roughly one quarter of the way through the 21st century. OFFENSE Finalists: Cam Newton (Auburn), Tim Tebow (Florida), Joe Burrow (LSU), Matt Leinart (USC) Klatt’s thoughts: “How do you pick between [all of these quarterbacks]? … Here’s the deal: I came down to [these finalists] because you kind of have to win a national championship. I know there are other national champions on this list, but you had to win the national championship and carry your team at some point. “I know this might be a little bit biased because I had to play against him, but the pick is Vince Young. If I had one game and I had to pick one quarterback from the last 25 years to go and play that game, my All-Century quarterback is Vince Young. This guy was unbelievable. He went 30-2 as a starting quarterback. That undefeated season in ‘05 for a national championship was remarkable. There were times where he had to put that team completely on his back. “This guy was incredible. I know there might be some debate, but I don’t think I’m going to get a ton of pushback about that.” Finalists: Reggie Bush (USC), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford) Klatt’s thoughts: “I’ve got to pick one of these guys? That’s why I did not want to be in 11 personnel. So, I thought let’s get down to three finalists. “But even with that big list, I got down to two really fast: Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson. I’m a huge Reggie Bush guy. He was electric. He changed the game in so many ways. I played against Adrian Peterson. His true freshman season was one of the greatest seasons we’ve ever seen from a running back. He led the country in carries as a true freshman and ran for 1,900 yards. Remarkable, absolutely remarkable stuff. Yet, Reggie Bush wasn’t on the field on fourth down for the three-peat. How could you be my 11 personnel, single running back if you weren’t on the field for the most important snap in your team’s history? “It’s not [Bush’s] fault … but for that reason, I went with Adrian Peterson. If you had one game and you need a guy to tote the rock for 20, 25 carries per game, who are you taking? AP!” Finalists: DeVonta Smith (Alabama), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) Klatt’s thoughts: “I know some people might one Calvin Johnson on this list, but I think I hit the nail on this one. You’ve got great individual seasons and careers on here. “I could put Larry in the slot. Crabtree was incredible at Texas Tech. Julio was just an absolute boss on the outside. Does anyone remember who Larry Fitzgerald’s quarterback was at Pitt? Rod Rutherford — anyone remember that name? I don’t, and I work in the sport. … If I had to take one, it was Larry Fitzgerald. “Then, you think about Michael Crabtree and Crabtree was insane. He had one of the great seasons in all of college football history. His performance against Texas in that game when both of those teams were undefeated was insane. “I know the numbers might not support [Julio Jones making this list] against some of the other candidates … but he was doing this for a team that was primarily run-oriented in an era in which the SEC was absolutely loaded. I mean, a lot of the defensive backs I’m going to hit on later were from the SEC in this era, and he was an absolute boss.” Finalists: Kyle Pitts (Florida), Tyler Warren (Penn State) Klatt’s thoughts: “I think [Bowers] was the best tight end I’ve ever seen in college football. … This pick was very easy for me. He was a two-time national champ, two-time Mackey Award winner, and if he doesn’t make a couple of insane plays, they don’t win the second national championship because they don’t beat Ohio State in that semifinal.” Finalists: Penei Sewell (Oregon), Jake Long (Michigan), Tristan Wirfs (Iowa) Klatt’s thoughts: “This was the second-easiest pick for me behind Brock Bowers. Bryant McKinnie was an absolute animal. He was a monster in that 2001 season for Miami. He’s the last offensive lineman to finish in the top 10 in Heisman voting. Joe Thomas, he won the Outland for the Badgers. I tried not to think of NFL careers, but isn’t it difficult not to? You kind of have to at some point. Joe Thomas was incredible.” Finalists: Zack Martin (Notre Dame), Chance Warmack (Alabama) Klatt’s thoughts: “I think people forget about David Decastro, but I’m not forgetting! Do we remember how dominant that Stanford team was running the football? … Decastro was incredible. “Then, my second one, this was a little bit more difficult. … Nelson was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame. I just don’t think you can go wrong with Quenton Nelson and David Decastro.” Finalists: Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa), Landon Dickerson (Alabama) Klatt’s thoughts: “Barrett Jones did everything for those Bama teams in the early 2010s. He started at guard, tackle and center. He won the Outland at left tackle in 2010 and then won the Rimington at center in 2012.” Finalists: Travis Hunter (Colorado), Tavon Austin (West Virginia) Klatt’s thoughts: “Sometimes, you’ve just got to trust the smart people in the room. Urban Meyer won multiple national championships as a head coach and is considered one of the great head coaches we’ve had in the history of the sport. I get the pleasure of working with Urban and he’s said to me many times that Percy Harvin is the best football player he’s ever coached. Guess what? That’s good enough for me. When Urban says that, I need him on my team.” DEFENSE Finalists: Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina), Myles Garrett (Texas A&M), Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan) Klatt’s thoughts: “Does anybody remember Terrell Suggs’ season in 2002? Animal. He had 24 sacks and 31 tackles for loss — both FBS records at the time. Suggs had four games with at least three sacks that year, and the crazy game was against Washington: 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. “Will Anderson, when Nick Saban says that he’s kind of the alpha of alphas that he’s had at Alabama, then I listen. He had 34.5 sacks and 62 tackles for loss in three seasons in the SEC.” Finalists: Vince Wilfork (Miami), Tommie Harris (Oklahoma), Glenn Dorsey (LSU) Klatt’s thoughts: “Suh in 2009 was insane. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting. He had 12 sacks and 20 TFLs — as a tackle! As dominant as any player I’ve ever seen. “Aaron Donald holds the FBS career record TFLs with 66 — as a tackle! And we know what he was in the NFL, but he was that at Pitt. I think the only offense ever created that could move the ball on this defense is the offense that I just created.” Finalists: Manti Te’o (Notre Dame), Derrick Johnson (Texas), Roquan Smith (Georgia) Klatt’s thoughts: “How do you take two of those? At this point, you’ve just got to go with your gut. Kuechly might be the smartest linebacker in history. Micah Parsons might be the greatest Swiss army knife at linebacker that we’ve ever seen. Kuechly holds the FBS record for tackles per game in a single season with 15.9 — almost 16 tackles. He also leads the FBS in career tackles per game with 14. He had 180 tackles in each of his last two seasons. “I know Parsons only played two seasons at Penn State, but he was a force. He was a freshman All-American and then an All-American as a sophomore and he was playing as a normal linebacker in those days and he was still dominant.” Finalists: Terence Newman (Kansas State), Jalen Ramsey (Florida State), Morris Claiborne (LSU) Klatt’s thoughts: “This is a tough one. I’m going to take Patrick Peterson, though. He was going up against guys like A.J. Green and Julio Jones and others in that SEC era. He won the Thorpe and the Bednarik. Patrick Peterson is one of my guys. “I’ve got to take Patrick Surtain, don’t I? He had 38 straight starts at Bama. He was an All-American, lock-down guy. Right now, he’s the best corner in the National Football League. So, I’m gonna go with Surtain there.” Finalists: Caleb Downs (Ohio State), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama) Klatt’s thoughts: “I’ve got to take the Honey Badger. The Honey Badger was just cut from a different cloth. He had an aura about him when he was out on the field. He was kind of like the college version of Ed Reed. He was all over the place. Quarterbacks had to be aware of him. Offensive coordinators had to be aware of him. So, Honey Badger has got to be on defense. I can’t have a defense for an All-Century team and not have the Honey Badger.” Finalists: Sean Taylor (Miami), Roy Williams (Oklahoma), Eric Berry (Tennessee) Klatt’s thoughts: “I do find it a little interesting that all of these guys played in the pre-targeting era. Don’t you love the physical, old safeties that could absolutely knock people’s heads off? I loved that. “I know you can make an argument for Sean Taylor, but Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed as your safeties with the Honey Badger as your nickel — no one is scoring on this team. Ed Reed was a two-time All-American and led one of those Miami teams to a title. Polamalu, I got to see him play in college before anyone ever knew who he was and had the hair and all of that.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports