South American Dream XI of the 2017-18 season

Left forward: Neymar

Neymar, who was expected to lead Barcelona's charge after Messi at Barcelona, shocked the world exactly a year ago by cutting ties with the Catalan club. He chose to move to French club Paris Saint Germain for a world record fee.

Neymar, who formed a part of the devastating front three that also comprised of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, abandoned them and went on to form an equally frightening attack that included Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.

Neymar helped PSG look a class above the other Ligue 1 sides as he ripped sides apart with his dribbling skills and finishing prowess.

Neymar contributed to a staggering 19 goals and 13 assists in just 20 Ligue 1 appearances, and looked all set to lead PSG's charge of conquering Europe. However, an unfortunate injury saw him sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Brazilian recovered just in time for the World Cup but looked way below his usually lofty standards. Nothing that he was trying was coming off, and he was also criticized for his antics of diving and rolling on the floor.

A bad 2018 came to an end with a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the hands of Belgium, where Neymar could do nothing to pull his side out of trouble.

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Center Forward: Edinson Cavani

Uruguay v Portugal: Round of 16 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Edinson Cavani has turned on another gear at Paris Saint Germain since Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure. He had a sensational season in the company of new arrivals Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, as the three formed a forward line that scared the rest of France.

Cavani, despite having a rocky relationship with Neymar, went on to score goal after goal for PSG, as he racked up 28 goals and 6 assists in 31 Ligue 1 appearances.

Cavani played a crucial role in PSG's domestic treble and has also become their all-time top scorer. The Uruguayan also played a crucial role in Uruguay's run to the World Cup quarterfinal.

Cavani scored a stunning brace against European Champions Portugal to lead Uruguay to a 2-1 victory. However, his joy was short-lived, as he suffered an unfortunate injury in the second half and had to be carried off the pitch by Ronaldo.

Cavani ultimately missed the quarterfinal defeat that saw Uruguay exit the World Cup.

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Right Forward: Lionel Messi

France v Argentina: Round of 16 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

This man is the undisputed king of South American footballers.

Messi, who had taken Neymar under his tutelage, was shocked by the Brazilian's departure from the club. With strike partner Luis Suarez misfiring in the first half of the campaign, there were times when the little magician single-handedly carried his team to victories in the La Liga - despite the team looking disjointed.

The Argentine phenomenon has come up with such staggering numbers over the past decade that make a goal-to-game ratio of 1 seems normal. Messi scored 34 goals and provided 12 assists in 36 appearances and took Barcelona to the verge of an unbeaten La Liga season.

Unsurprisingly, the unbeaten streak was broken in his absence.

Messi also helped the Catalan club secure yet another Copa del Rey title. However, the little man was unable to pick up a dismal Barcelona side that suffered a shocking 3-0 loss to AS Roma in the Champions League quarterfinals.

After picking up two trophies with his club, he shifted his attention to national duty. The hopes of the nation rested on Messi's shoulders, but he was unable to inspire a dreadful Argentina side devoid of any direction in Russia.

Argentina just about squeaked into the knockout stages thanks to Messi's brilliance and a bit of good luck, but a second-round clash against France proved a bridge too far for him.

Messi, sadly, is likely to exit the international stage without a World Cup trophy in his massive trophy cabinet.