Breakout player: Mesut Özil. A lot of people would put Thomas Müller here, but he was already well known on the international stage, having a great season for Bayern and making the Champions League final. At the World Cup, Özil played consistently well in every game, being a menace with his passing and shooting abilities, and now drawing attention from clubs such as Manchester United.

Best Team: Spain. They bounced back after a a stunning loss to Switzerland and had an amazing rest of the tournament. Great defensively, they kept their stylish passing game, and even though they didn’t score a lot of goals, Spain was still a fun team to watch.

Most Surprising Team: New Zealand. They finished the tournament as the only team not to lose a game and had their chances to advance to the round of 16. Another surprise could be of course Uruguay, but they did also have an  arguably easier road to the semifinals.

Biggest Disappointment: France. Not only did they not win a game, but their internal drama — with Anelka being sent home and players refusing to train — overshadowed the team completely.

Most Dramatic Moment: Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss against Uruguay. This was probably one of the cruelest endings in the history of the World Cup, as Ghana had a goal saved off the line by the arms of Luis Suárez in the last second of extra time, missed the following penalty, and lost in the penalty shootout.

Best Goal: Giovanni van Bronckhorst against Uruguay. Unbelievable long-range effort, perfectly hit, if the ball went even the tiniest bit to the left, the goalkeeper would have saved it.