My team of the season

As this European football season comes to a close, and with the World Cup in Brazil looming, it is time to start handing out the gongs.

The criterion is simple and the following players are those whom I think have made the biggest impact in their respective positions.

The best 11 in European football this season are:

Centre-Forward: Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay) and Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid/Spain via Brazil)

These are two brilliant strikers, each integral in their respective team's chase for league success.

Diego Costa brings a physicality reminiscent of a "British old-fashioned centre-forward", and his bustling style has certainly left an impression on Jose Mourinho.

And what more can one say about Luis Suarez? A man who has single-handedly reignited and driven the ambitions of Liverpool to return to their "****ing perch" (thank you, Alex Ferguson).

His guile, cunning, whatever you want to call it, has left its mark on many a fan and Suarez has already written his name into Liverpool folklore.

Left-Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)

Right-Midfield: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)

Supporting the best two strikers in the world, we have Cristiano Ronaldo on the left wing and Gareth Bale on the right.

While Ronaldo has been absolutely magnificent, and there are neither doubts nor arguments against him being named the best player in the world this season, his incredible work ethic is what sets him apart.

The Portugal captain has consistently set high standards for himself, and his drive to improve is unparalleled. His desire to surpass himself is something every budding athlete should take as inspiration.

There is a tendency in the media to only highlight Gareth Bale whenever he has hit the back of the net. But, to be honest, watching him week-in week-out, his contributions to the team and the set-up at Real Madrid has been immense.

Bale has not only adapted to Spanish football, but has also established himself as an integral part of Real Madrid. Born in Wales, brought up in England, but matured into a thoroughbred in Spain under the tutelage of an Italian. And, this is only his first season in Spain.

Centre-Midfield: Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast)

Now here is a man mountain. When you talk about complete midfielders, be it a number 6, 8 or 10, quite clearly Manchester City hit the jackpot by having the characteristics of all three positions blended into one footballer.

Anybody who leaves a club like Barcelona and goes on to greater things individually is rare, but Yaya Toure has taken to the blue side of Manchester with aplomb.

Centre-Midfield: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid/Spain)

People might find it strange that Xabi Alonso has made the team, especially after missing a huge chunk of the season through injury. However, it was upon his return that the "real" Real Madrid woke up, or at least it enabled the ideal Ancelotti way of how Los Blancos should play.

Despite being surrounded by world class footballers, it is clear to see that Alonso is the godfather of them all. An orchestrator of Real's rhythm and tempo, his ability to change defence to attack in an instant is crucial to Real's fast-paced attacking game.

Left-Back: Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid/Brazil)

He may be missing out on a World Cup spot quite possibly because he has played for unfashionable clubs. But the colour combination of red and white has now become fashionable in Madrid.

An integral part of Atletico Madrid's stunning season both domestically and at the European stage, we finally - and it has been a long search - have a Brazillian full-back who can both defend and attack with equal ability.

Right-Back: Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City/Argentina)

And then we have a fullback who defends like an Argentinian but goes forward like a Brazilian. Rarely hitting the headlines, Zabaleta is a manager's dream and a fellow footballer's perfect team-mate.

Centre-Back: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/Spain)

Some may call him a rock, but Sergio Ramos is a fortress. Cutting world-class strikers down to size effortlessly (Mario Balotelli, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Mandzukic would attest to that), he still remains very much understated for his technical prowess.

A centre back who reads the game like a sweeper and gets stuck in like a stopper, he is Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro wrapped into one.

Centre-Back: Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid/Uruguay)

Helping Uruguay to the 2010 World Cup semi-finals, Diego Godin is miles better at centre-back than he was at left-back at South Africa. Quintessentially "Uruguayan", no man or ball goes past him without getting their passports stamped!

Goalkeeper: Thibault Courtois (Atletico Madrid/Belgium)

I have never seen such an unassuming goalkeeper. Big personalities and loud characters are a dime a dozen in a pair of gloves, but his unassuming temperament belies his ability to command his penalty box and pull off world class saves.

The football adage that you "need to be a little crazy to be a goalkeeper" certainly does not apply to the measured Courtois.

He also exudes an aura of invincibility not seen since a young Iker Casillas announced his arrival to the world with a match-winning cameo against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 Champions League final. 

Honourable mentions

Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)

It is not often that you get a footballer scoring more than 40 goals a season and is considered to be "coasting" with his performances. Indeed, it is not often you see a footballer like Leo Messi.

In any other team or situation, he would be applauded for 40-plus goals. Unfortunately, Barcelona as a collective suffer Post-Guardiola Stress Disorder still, and their performances as a unit leave much to be desired. Messi has been willing, but the collective has been weak.

Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Spain)

Luka Modric has flourished and matured into a midfielder who can influence a team on his own, but to be playing with so much world-class talent around him, his role is reduced to that of supporting the collective.

David Silva (Manchester City/Spain)

Absolutely world-class in everything he has done, from inspiring team-mates to bamboozling opponents, David Silva is by far the most creative midfielder in the English Premier League. – May 9, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.