Picking a World Football Dream Team XI

With the current international break shifting attention away from the club game for a few days, it is a good opportunity to evaluate the current state of play in world football.

One such typical topic of conversation across the football world at any given time is a "World XI" or "Dream Team".

It is a topic that will always cause dispute and is highly subjective but always starts an interesting debate that says much of a person's footballing preferences.

So, without further ado, I have compiled my own personal take on what would be the best possible team in football at the current time.

In goal, the outstanding candidate at present is FC Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The German international 'keeper was an integral figure in the Bavarian side's march to the Champions League title last season, demonstrating the kind of defensive management that he has become famed for.

Neuer is a giant between the sticks, combining excellent shot-stopping with confidence in coming to deal with crosses and command of his area. He has won over many of the supporters who opposed him when he first arrived from Schalke and looks set for a long stint between the sticks at the Allianz Arena.

He would be joined in any such World XI by Bayern Munich teammate Philipp Lahm, who is undeniably one of the world's best players at present—despite predominantly playing in the unfashionable position of right-back.

Lahm combines excellent technique and intelligence with the ball to such an extent that he has proved a more than comfortable central midfielder, while he is good enough defensively to play either full-back role.

With the stamina to get back and forward throughout the game, he is a prototype for all future full-backs to build upon.

At centre-back, there are numerous exceptional candidates in the world game at present, but currently few can reasonably claim to be at the level of Thiago Silva or Mats Hummels.

The former, Brazil's captain, is a sensational defender who almost seems to have an innate understanding of the game in front of him. A strong header of the ball and an excellent technical defender, he is perhaps the outstanding centre-back of his generation.

Alongside him would be Borussia Dortmund defender Hummels, who has mastered the art of playing the ball out from central defensive positions.

What he may lack in pace, he makes up for in strength and technique, and unsurprisingly has been linked with big-money moves to nearly every top club in Europe over recent years. At 24, he should still have his best years ahead of him.

David Alaba has without doubt been the best left-back of the past 12 months and deservedly completes the defence in our dream team. The Austrian has played as a No. 10 for his country to good effect and played much of his early career in central midfield, but it is at full-back that he has found his natural home at Bayern.

A terrific athlete and wonderful technical footballer, Alaba could well overtake Lahm to become the world's best full-back in the coming years. At the moment, he may not quite be as defensively aware as his colleague, but he is certainly his equal going forward and was the best left-back in Europe last season by a distance.

Continuing an FC Bayern trend in our selection, our central midfield pair begins with the inclusion of German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

An exceptional manager of the tempo of a game in midfield, Schweini has been an important member of the Bayern side that has reached the past two Champions League finals.

The German has evolved from an attacking midfielder or winger in his early career to become a deep-lying central midfielder. Schweinsteiger puts a lot of effort into the defensive side of his game, pressing high up the pitch, in what is an important facet of the Bayern game-plan.

However, it is his distribution and control of his side's tempo that sets him apart from the majority of his rivals.

Cesc Fabregas should perhaps be in our side as the No. 10, but such is the level of competition for those roles that the Spaniard is forced to drop into a deeper midfield role.

Such is the Spaniard's incredible versatility and the increasing trend for attack-minded midfields, though, that he can take on the role with minimal fuss.

Now an important member of Tata Martino's Barcelona side, Fabregas has been sensational this campaign in supplying six assists in just six games thus far this La Liga campaign.

Having proven himself capable of performing at an elite level in both England and Spain, in several differing midfield roles, Fabregas has proven one of football's best all-round midfielders.

An excellent passer and a highly intelligent operator, he is well deserving of a place in our Dream Team.

The most unfortunate man in world football at present may well be Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo who has found himself regarded as the second-best player in the game, despite the sensational standards he has set.

Were it not for Lionel Messi, it may well have been Ronaldo challenging the likes of Maradona and Pele in football's pantheon of greats.

The Portuguese forward, although not technically a striker, has scored a remarkable 213 goals in 209 games since joining Real Madrid and has set a number of records in the process.

The master of counter-attacking goals, Ronaldo's pace, power and technique combines to form one of the most complete attacking players in football history. His style has changed since he first emerged, becoming a highly efficient goalscoring machine.

At present, the best central attacking midfielder in world football is Germany's Mesut Ozil.

The former Real Madrid man has been sensational since his transfer to Arsenal in August but in truth has been performing at a similar level for some time—causing his former teammates to be understandably annoyed by his departure.

The German is technically excellent and is supremely gifted when it comes to picking out a teammate in attacking positions. With his terrific ability off his left foot and his natural footballing intelligence, it is little surprise that he has led the way for assists in European football over recent seasons.

Spaniard Andres Iniesta is unlucky to miss out, but the German gets the nod based on current performance levels.

Another perhaps controversial choice is that of Brazilian superstar Neymar, who takes up the position on the left side of our three-man line behind the centre-forward.

With two goals and five assists already in his brief La Liga career, he has proven to be a significant boost to Barcelona's ambitions this season.

Neymar is sensationally talented and, while he was previously criticised for selfishness and a lack of consistent end product, he is working hard to set the record straight.

What Neymar has that few others possess is the ability to conjure up a moment of brilliance from nowhere. He can beat an opponent one-on-one in any number of ways and has excellent technique when shooting off either foot.

At present, he would have to be considered a world leader in his position.

There is only one man who can lead the forward line of any World XI at present—Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi. 

The four-time World Player of the Year has been almost untouchable in footballing terms in recent years and continues to set new records on an astonishingly regular basis.

There is something that separates the Argentine from most mere mortals, with defenders often aware of his intentions but simply unable to stop him.

Messi has scored 96 goals in La Liga alone over the past two seasons, becoming Barcelona's all-time top scorer in the process. At just 26, he should still have many years at the top ahead of him.

Subs: Cech, Zabaleta, Dante, Busquets, Iniesta, Ribery, Van Persie