England vs France Combined Lineup

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. Mike Maignan is a fine goalkeeper, but Jordan Pickford, on his day, is amongst the world’s best. He wasn’t perfect at the World Cup, but still managed to pull off some wonderful saves.

RB: Jules Kounde

This was much tougher. While we considered Reece James, we ultimately went with Jules Kounde on account of consistency. This isn’t James’ fault, as he was injured for a portion of the campaign, but Kounde must take his spot nonetheless.

CB: Marc Guehi

England’s best centre-back by a decent margin, Marc Guehi was a reliable hand throughout the tournament. As solid as a rock on the ground and in their air, the Manchester City man made very few mistakes during England’s World Cup run.

CB: Dayot Upamecano

Dayot Upamecano was seen as a bit of a shaky hand before the World Cup, but he put all of those fears to bed this year. France might have led a relatively disappointing effort, but Upamecano cannot be faulted for his performances.

LB: Djed Spence

Before the tournament began, some questioned Djed Spence’s involvement in the squad, including ourselves. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Spence was fantastic throughout, putting in some sensational tackles and providing a dangerous attacking outlet at the same time.

CM: Declan Rice

Declan Rice suffered with injury issues and illnesses during the World Cup, but showed serious mettle to shake them off and put in some consistently great performances for the Three Lions regardless.

CM: Elliot Anderson

This one was very, very hard to pick. Manu Kone, Elliot Anderson and Adrien Rabiot all had very solid tournaments, but we gave it to Anderson based on his overall consistency. Always looking for the ball and pressing when out of possession, the 23-year-old did himself proud throughout the World Cup.

RW: Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele’s status as the most recent winner of the Ballon d’Or meant that he came into the World Cup with plenty of expectation on his shoulders. Thankfully, by scoring five goals and notching up two assists, he lived up to it.

AM: Jude Bellingham

England’s best player at the World Cup, Jude Bellingham was practically unstoppable when in full flow. Using his physicality and intelligence in tandem, he scored six goals in seven games for the Three Lions.

LW: Kylian Mbappe

Arguably football’s biggest contemporary superstar, Kylian Mbappe was on fire at the World Cup. Yes, he faltered in the semi-final against Spain – but to be fair, so did everyone else in the French camp. All in all, the Real Madrid star scored eight goals and racked up three assists.

ST: Harry Kane

Harry Kane will be 36 by the time the next World Cup rolls around. If this is his last tournament, it is safe to say he ended things on a high (at least individually), scoring six goals in seven appearances.