World Cup 2010: Mick McCarthy's favourite players of the tournament

Goalkeeper: Samir Handanovic (Slovenia) England would have been out of sight in their final group game but for the Udinese keeper. Handanovic had no chance of stopping Defoe’s goal but he defied England so many times that he made the tense finale inevitable. I haven’t seen many great goalkeeping performances in this World Cup. Diego Benaglio has impressed for Switzerland but Handanovic was terrific against England.
Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA

Right-back: Cha Jong-hyok (North Korea) I’m not suggesting he is a better right-back than Maicon for one second but Cha Jong-hyok really stood out for me in North Korea’s games. He started well against Brazil and was outstanding against Portugal. He never gave Cristiano Ronaldo a kick in the first half and Simao had similar problems whenever he moved over to the left. Not only was he strong defensively but he brought genuine threat to the North Korean attack. I know it all went Pete Tong in the second half for North Korea, and I doubt he will make it into the team of the tournament, but Jong-hyok is a proper full-back.
Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images

Centre-half: Paulo da Silva (Paraguay) Da Silva was different class in the two matches I saw him play against Italy and Slovakia. He did not have too many opportunities to shine with Sunderland last season due to injuries, but he has been solid, dominant in the air and has organised his defence superbly. Paraguay did extremely well to top their group and Da Silva has played a major part in their success.
Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

Centre-half: Matthew Upson (England) Yes I know he has played only one game so far, but if it hadn’t been for Upson’s tackle on Tim Matavz in the closing minutes of the Slovenia game then England would be out of this World Cup. Upson came into the side under difficult circumstances and did everything that was required, but I’m including him purely on the basis of that tackle. People can overlook such moments but that was the equal of a goal or match-winning save in terms of importance. That got England through and, as a former centre-half myself, it was a last-ditch tackle to applaud.
Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Left-back: Fabio Coentrao (Portugal) Awesome against North Korea, even though that may seem to contradict my inclusion of Cha Jong-hyok at right back. He looked good whenever I saw him play for Benfica in Europe last season but I was still taken by the quality of his performance against North Korea. His overall play was fantastic. He is terrific on the ball, knows how to defend and construct an attack. I’ve not seen a better performance from a left-back at this World Cup than Coentrao’s.
Photograph: Christian Charisius/Reuters

Right midfield: Raul Meireles (Portugal) Another Portuguese player who looked a cut above the rest against North Korea; his runs from midfield made all the difference. Meireles did his job defensively but was constantly looking to make the intelligent runs that teams need against defensive opponents. He scored Portugal’s first against North Korea from one such move and while his team-mates did not always pick him out, you could see from looking down from the gantry how brilliantly-timed his runs were.
Photograph: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Central midfield: Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina) The veteran Argentinean would be my sitter. He is 35 now but has dictated every game he has played. He keeps it, passes it and I think he’s given the ball away once in this tournament - a real collector’s item. He looks, moves and dominates like a man ten year’s younger.
Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images

Left midfield: Wesley Sneijder (Holland) Has continued where he left off in the Champions League with Internazionale last season. A top draw player and his all-round performances have been fantastic. Sneijder dictates the play further up the field, has a real influence in that area, and it would be interesting to see him compliment the work-rate of Meireles and the influence of Veron further back. As he showed against Japan, he’s got goals in him. If you don’t close him down in the final third he will have a shot. If you do, he will play someone else in.
Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images

Forward: Enrique Vera (Paraguay) Whether he’s been asked to play wide right of a 4-4-2 or up front in a 4-3-3, Vera has been exceptional. He was excellent against Slovakia when he scored one and could have scored another. Paraguay played 4-4-2 in their first game and then changed to 4-3-3 against Slovakia, and in both games he kept running, protected his full back and got forward. Very impressive.
Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Centre-forward: Gervinho (Ivory Coast) This may seem a surprise choice but it was not only Gervinho’s braided hair that caught my eye. He was handed the difficult task of filling in as the lone striker for Didier Drogba against Portugal and he excelled. He held onto possession well, turned and ran at defenders, and he was prepared to make runs out wide and look for the ball out there. He is quick, doesn’t mind physical contact and it should also be taken into account that he was up against the experienced Carvalho. Paraguay’s front two and Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain have all done well, but as a lone striker Gervinho was different class.
Photograph: Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images

Forward: Landon Donovan (USA) Another right-footer in the forward line but Donovan had to be included. I was hugely impressed with him during his loan spell at Everton and he has capped excellent performances in South Africa with crucial goals, not least the one that took the United States through against Algeria. It doesn’t get much better than that. He epitomises the spirit of this US team. He is full of running, very athletic and enthusiastic, but he has genuine quality too. A proper footballer.
Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images