My World XI for 2012.

With 2012 about to end, it is that time of year where we reflect on the past football events of the last 12 months. We have seen new Premier League Champions in the form of Manchester City, witnessed the heroics of Chelsea's Champion's League winning side and saw Spain prove once again why they are the most dominant international side of the modern era. These events have shown us that there are many contenders for a place in Fifa's best XI of the year.Therefore, Fifa are giving us fans of football a chance to vote for the best XI in World Football in 2012. I thought I would have a go myself it wasn't something I found easy, especially the defence. I went for players who I felt made the biggest contribution to their teams performance this season rather than picking the usual star names. However I have managed to whittle down 11 Players who I believe have had an incredible 2012 and deserve a position in my FIFA/FIFPro World XI for this year.

So here is My 2012 FIFProWorld XI:

GOALKEEPER: IKER CASILLAS. (REAL MADRID & SPAIN). Iker Casillas is arguably the best goalkeeper in world football at present and has been for some time. Being an Englishman myself, I wanted to nominate Joe Hart for this position as I feel he was fantastic in Manchester City's title winning season and showed why he is quickly becoming one of the World's best goalkeepers.However, Since the beginning of the 2012/13 season he has suffered from a few gaffs and has not looked as outstanding as he did last season, although time is on side side. Back to Casillas, he deserves his place in Fifa's World XI because he is the most consistent keeper on the planet and played a crucial role in securing Real Madrid the La Liga title and helping Spain their second consecutive European Championship.

RIGHT BACK: PHILIPP LAHM. (BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY). It is Philipp Lahm's versatility that made him stand out to me this year. Lahm consistently showed us that he was very capable of producing match winning performances in both both full back positions this year. His drive and influence as captain of both Bayern Munich and Germany lead them to having successful years as Bayern reached the final of the Champions League in their home stadium, only to narrowly lose out to Chelsea and also Germany reached the semi finals of the European Championships.

CENTRE BACK: VINCENT KOMPANY (MANCHESTER CITY & BELGIUM). Kompany arrived at City just before their takeover by Sheikh Mansour, he has since seen many players come and go of the highest standard and transfer fees to match, yet he has been the consistent backbone in the City defence throughout and had an incredible 2011/12 season which ended with him guiding his side to their first Premier League title. The Man City fans acknowledged Kompany's outstanding performances throughout 2012 by voting him as the Fans Player of the Season.

CENTR BACK: GIORGIO CHIELLINI (JUVENTUS & ITALY). Chiellini has been named Serie A Defender of the Season in 2008, 2009, 2010 and looks nailed on to receive the award for 2012. He was arguably one of the main reasons why Juventus did not suffer a single loss in the 2011 with some stellar performances in the heart of their defence.

LEFT BACK: JORDI ALBA (BARCELONA & SPAIN). We have seen a meteoric rise in Jordi Alba throughout 2012. Although he only made his début for the Spanish national side in late 2011, he looked like he has played their for years. His performances a left-back have been outstanding, even netting a goal in the European Championships final. This led to Barcelona signing him from Valencia following the Euro's, paying a fairly modest €14 Million for his services.He looks nailed on already to be the long-term successor to Joan Capdevila as the regular left back for Spain. 

MIDFIELD: YAYA TOURE (MANCHESTER CITY & IVORY COAST). Yaya Toure was one of the catalysts behind Manchester City's title winning season. He totally dominated the midfield throughout and wore down the opposition with his box to box play. He made the Manchester City team tick and they looked a weakened team when he left for the African Cup of Nations which shows that he is a valuable asset to Roberto Mancini's side.

MIDFIELD: DAVID SILVA (MANCHESTER CITY & SPAIN). David Silva showed this year why he should be considered as one of the World's elite footballers. He added class and creative spark to the Manchester City side, achieving the most assists in the Premier League in the 2011/12 season. Silva also proved his worth in the Spanish national side this year at Euro 2012, where he provided 3 assists for his team mates and scored two goals in the process. 

MIDFIELD: ANDRES INIESTA (BARCELONA & SPAIN). Despite not winning any domestic silverware in the 2011/12 season, Andres Iniesta still proved why he is such a class act and important figure in the Barcelona and Spanish midfield. He is arguably the best midfield player in the world. He demonstrated that he can consistently perform at the highest level on the biggest stages by being named not just Man of the Match in the European Championship Final but also the Player of the Tournament.

FORWARD: RADAMEL FALCAO (ATLETICO MADRID & COLUMBIA). For this forward slot, it was close between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Falcao. However, I think the manner in which Falcao moved to Atletico Madrid under the pressure of an enormous price tag and went on to score 36 goals in the 2011/12 season sells him to me. Falcao also has to be one of the main reasons why Atletico Madrid currently sit 2nd in the 2012/13 La Liga table ahead of arch rivals Real Madrid. So far, he has scored 20 goals in 16 games. 5 of those goals came in one game against Deportivo de La Coruna. Therefore, I think Falcao more than merits a place amongst this year's footballing elite.

FORWARD: CRISTIANO RONALDO (REAL MADRID & SPAIN). It is fairly common knowledge that both Ronaldo and Messi are in a league of their own when it comes to talent. This past year they both continued the trend. Ronaldo smacked home 46 goals in the 2011/12 season to secure Real Madrid their first La Liga title since 2008 and also played a key role in the run to the Champions League Semi-Finals. 

FORWARD: LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA & ARGENTINA). Lionel Messi has been named the World Footballer of Year in 2009,2010 and 2011, it is looking pretty nailed on that he will secure the award this year too as his efforts on the pitch this year have been extraordinary. This year he achieved the incredible feat of beating Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a calender year. He is currently on 90 goals and the year is not even over yet. It is certain that Messi will always be remembered as one of the all time greats, if not the all time great.


So that is my team of the year. If you disagree with my selection or have an idea of what 2012 World XI you will pick let me know by posting a comment below or tweeting me at @Lewisv1. I would love to hear your teams and who you would pick. To pick your own team like I did based on the list of candidates selected by Fifa, click here. It will take you to the Fifa website.