GK
Gianluigi Buffon (£15m)
A World Cup winner with Italy, he is unassailable at Juventus and narrowly edges out competition from Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas and Chelsea’s Petr Cech.
RIGHT DEFSergio Ramos (£40m) The Real Madrid right-back renowned for his dynamism on the wing and the accuracy of his passing.
CENTER DEFRio Ferdinand (£40m) Indomitable at centre-back, his towering presence should see him become the next permanent captain of Manchester United.
CENTER DEFFabio Cannavaro (£10m) An ageing force but supreme for Real Madrid and also the oldest recipient of Fifa’s World Player of the Year award.
LEFT DEFEric Abidal (£30m) Underlining France’s surfeit of superlative left-backs, Abidal is only marginally preferred to United’s Patrice Evra.
RIGHT WINGCristiano Ronaldo (£70m) Maddening and mercurial, but indispensable – still with a £70 million price tag attached to his name, his acquisition could test even City’s boundless new wealth.
CENTER MIDSteven Gerrard (£40m) Provided he is played in the centre, his natural berth, is capable of transforming any game and remains peerless in this position.
CENTER MIDKaka (£60m) It will be incongruous to see him only in the Uefa Cup this season, after Milan’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, but the Brazilian still has the silkiness of touch to grace any world XI.
LEFT WINGLionel Messi (£65m)Often touted as the world’s best player, the Barcelona winger may be physically fragile but still has the wiles to terrorise any Premier League defence.
STRIKERDavid Villa (£35m) Underlined by a hat-trick in Spain’s first Euro 2008 group game that he was a lethal marksman even if he remains loyal to Valencia.
STRIKERFernando Torres (£45m) The immediacy of his impact at Liverpool, and his winning goal for Spain in the Euro 2008 final, prompted City to make an audacious late transfer inquiry.