World Cup final: Spain team pen pics

The former Spain international profiles the 11 players expected to line up against Holland in the World Cup final on Sunday night Iker Casillas 29 Goalkeeper Real Madrid Caps 110 Goals 0 A very calm goalkeeper. He's possibly the best there is when it comes to one-on-ones. If he has a weak point it's his ability when he comes off the line but he tends to make up for that because he is so quick and agile Sergio Ramos 24 Right-back Real Madrid Caps 66 Goals 5 A strong, powerful and very aggressive full-back. In truth I have been surprised by him at the World Cup because he comes off the back of a season that has not been his best but I think he has performed very well. Because he likes to push forward, he can be caught out of position and Holland may well look for the space behind him. Carles Puyol 32 Centre-back Barcelona Caps 89 Goals 3 The soul of the selección . Fast, aggressive, fiercely competitive. But he is not lacking in talent, too. People have talked about Spain's defence as being their weak point but I don't agree with that at all. I think Puyol and Piqué have been one of the best things that Spain has had to offer. Gerard Piqué 23 Centre-back Barcelona Caps 22 Goals 4 It might be a bit of an exaggeration for people to be talking about Piqué as the new Beckenbauer but I think he is on course to be the best centre-back in the world over the next few years. He is tall, elegant and has a great touch on the ball. His passing is excellent. Joan Capdevila 32 Left-back Villarreal Caps 49 Goals 4 Capdevila is not outstanding in any specific skill or quality but as a package he is reasonably complete. He defends well and he scores goals from set plays. I will always defend him, too – after all, he wears the No11 shirt because of me. He's an Espanyol fan and I was his favourite player when he was a kid. Xabi Alonso 28 Centre midfield Real Madrid Caps 75 Goals 9 He brings balance to the team and a different range of passing. People have wondered about his role alongside Sergio Busquets. A lot of people think that Spain do not need two players in that role and that Xabi looks uncomfortable but I don't think that's true. Xabi has been freed of some of the dirty work by having Busquets there. Sergio Busquets 21 Centre midfield Barcelona Caps 19 Goals 0 The revelation of the World Cup. He adapted better than anyone else to the first few games when things were very hard for Spain. People may not like the way he plays the game but football is about taking advantage a lot of the time, about being picaresque. Without that, you can lose 30% from your game. Xavi 30 Centre midfield Barcelona Caps 93 Goals 8 He just never loses the ball. He keeps possession, he passes wonderfully and he generates so many chances. He never plays badly. He has had better results with Spain than any other central midfielder but I'm not sure if he is the best in the country's history - after all, Pep Guardiola was pretty good too. Xavi is superb. Pedro 22 Attacking midfielder Barcelona Caps 5 Goals 1 He does the unexpected: he is quick, skilful and has an eye for goal. The thing that most stands out, though, is the fact that he has only ever played five games for Spain and it seems as if he isn't under any pressure whatsoever. He does everything so naturally. Andrés Iniesta 26 Attacking midfielder Barcelona Caps 48 Goals 7 He is the magic, the fantasy player. He can create something out of nothing. There's no danger and suddenly, with Iniesta on the ball, there's a great chance. His problem is that he is physically fragile. He was very good against Germany but because of injury he hasn't had quite the tournament we hoped for. David Villa 28 Striker Barcelona Caps 64 Goals 43 Goals. Hunger. Determination. Villa is never satisfied, he always wants more. He is fiercely competitive and always improving. He's not that outstanding physically or technically but he does everything well and is very dangerous.