From a missing bottle of whisky and a Japanese sneeze to James Rodríguez’s wonder goal and the tears of the hosts, our writers share their best and worst memories from Brazil • Pictures: 25 of the best photos from Brazil 2014

Daniel Taylor

Match of the tournament Brazil 1-7 Germany. There was a point, after 0-0 had raced to 0-5 in the space of 18 minutes, when the goals were coming too quickly to take accurate notes, there were people screaming – literally screaming – beside the pressbox, and I can remember looking at Dominic Fifield next to me and we were both just laughing. It was that kind of what-the-hell-is-going-on kind of laughter.

Player of the tournament Thomas Müller. It seems strange now but, until the semi-final, I would probably have gone for David Luiz. From that point onwards, it was like a switch had gone off in his head.

Goal of the tournament Tim Cahill, Australia v Holland. An honorary mention to James Rodríguez but, unfortunately, I missed his best moments. That’s the only bad thing when you are doing this job at a World Cup: you actually see surprisingly little of the football. You’re either flying, on the road, writing or standing in a queue somewhere.

Personal highlight Being there on Sunday night. The World Cup final, in the Maracanã. Football can make you cynical sometimes but then there are moments like that when you actually remember why you fell in love with the sport in the first place.

Biggest disappointment Holland 0 Argentina 0. All those great players and yet there’s no point dressing it up – the semi-final was an absolute stinker. I was also quite disappointed in myself for swearing at a small Japanese man in the queue at São Paulo airport one day. He had, in fairness, sneezed on my head.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Vlaar, Hummels, Blind; Mascherano, Kroos; Robben, Neymar, Rodríguez: Müller.

Trickiest off-field moment Stranded in Teresópolis, high in the mountains, after a day at Brazil’s training camp, with no phone signal and no real idea what to do next. Two hours of gridlocked traffic before giving up and trying to find a bar. Then that awkward moment when I realised my driver was downing what looked suspiciously like a brandy (I’m sure it was just a cola).

Fondest memory of Brazil Where to start? The morning view of Copacabana, the beers in Bar do Gomez at Santa Teresa, the people-watching on Avenida Atlântica and the good times at Marina da Glória. Plus the noise and mild hysteria at Brazil’s games. And the way they belted out that national anthem.

Innovations for 2018 A fourth substitute to be allowed if a game goes into extra time and an end to the rule – thankfully ignored by several teams – that kits have to be one colour.

What now for England? More of the same bleary-eyed nonsense. Another generation of young, reasonably talented players will come through, get talked up and then, ultimately, they will be found out. It won’t change. Just look at the people running the Football Association, their backgrounds and decide for yourself whether you really trust them to get it right.

Barney Ronay

Match of the tournament Spain 1-5 Holland. A bit obvious but sometimes things are obvious because they’re obvious. There were only two real all-time hall-of-fame, watch the whole 90 minutes jaw-droppers. The other one at the World Cup, Brazil’s annihilation,was over at half-time.

Player of the tournament James Rodríguez: didn’t get past the quarters, but a player of the tournament should ideally (a) provide unforgettable moments and (b) come from (as close as we can get to) left-field. He did both.

Goal of the tournament Robin van Persie’s header against Spain. Plenty of good headers in this World Cup. That one was the kind you dream about scoring.

Personal highlight Brazil v Colombia in Fortaleza. A game that enraged many with its physicality, but in the stadium and in the city afterwards an incredible atmosphere.

Biggest disappointment The reversion to defensive football – or “counter-defence” – in the last stages. Holland versus Argentina was a hideous semi-final.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) Keylor Navas; Philipp Lahm, Ron Vlaar, Mats Hummels, Júnior Díaz; Javier Mascherano, Toni Kroos; Lionel Messi, James Rodríguez, Arjen Robben; Thomas Müller

Trickiest off-field moment Waiting in a queue to escape the vast Arena Corinthians in São Paulo at 10pm while dutiful unpaid volunteers X-rayed every single bag to leave the stadium, because “a bottle of whisky has gone missing”.

Innovations for 2018 Disband Fifa. Replace with a benevolent not-for-profit organisation run by unpaid expert administrators.

What now for England? More dwindling away unless the deadlock of the last 140 years – clubs go one way, FA mopes behind – can be miraculously resolved. Sacking Roy Hodgson would achieve nothing beyond a small uplift, a few details squeezed a little more effectively. The problems are structural.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tim Cahill's volley off the underside of the bar against Holland is Barney Ronay's goal of the tournament. Photograph: Michael Sohn/AP

Paolo Bandini

Match of the tournament Germany’s 7-1 rout of Brazil was so lopsided that it barely deserves to be considered as a contest at all. But more than any other match at this World Cup, that is the one we will remember.

Player of the tournament James Rodríguez.

Goal of the tournament Tim Cahill’s volley off the underside of the bar against Holland was technical perfection.

Personal highlight John Brooks’s reaction to his winning goal for the USA against Ghana was everything a World Cup celebration should be: just a heady mix of bewilderment, realisation and joy.

Biggest disappointment Speaking as someone with an Italian father and an English mother, I would have to say pretty much everything that happened in Group D.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) Tim Howard; Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Ezequiel Garay, Ricardo Rodríguez; Javier Mascherano, Toni Kroos; Thomas Müller, James Rodríguez, Lionel Messi; Neymar

Trickiest off-field moment Arriving at the Arena das Dunas for Italy v Uruguay only to discover that the seat listed on my press ticket did not exist. Thankfully the stadium volunteers were able to improvise a solution for me and the several other journalists who found themselves in a similar predicament that afternoon.

Fondest memory of Brazil The moment when my Natal cab driver, watching Bosnia v Argentina on a TV attached to his dashboard, took both hands off the wheel to celebrate a goal while bombing through a residential zone at 90kmph. Fondest mostly because I lived to tell about it.

Innovations for 2018 Independent Fifa medical staff to evaluate players for concussion on the sidelines before determining whether they can return to the field after a head injury. Football needs to start taking this problem seriously.

What now for England? The good part about hitting rock bottom is that things can only get better from here … right?

Simon Burnton

Match of the tournament Spain 1-5 Holland, a ludicrous thrillfest that set the tone for the group stages.

Player of the tournament James Rodríguez. Juan Zúñiga’s assault on Neymar apart, Rodríguez, his team and their celebratory dances were everything the World Cup should be.

Goal of the tournament Of the clear solo-effort top three – Robin van Persie’s diving lob-header against Spain; Tim Cahill’s Marco van Basten impersonation against the Dutch, and James Rodríguez’s chest-and-volley against Uruguay – Cahill’s has to win. Partly because it was absolutely phenomenal, and partly because it was scored by a 34-year-old bustling ex-Millwall midfielder who was only supposed to put himself about a bit and get on the end of a few crosses.

Personal highlight The glorious, hideous, wonderful, demonic, thrilling outbreak of wide-scale blubbing during and after Brazil’s defeat to Germany. I’m still feeling guilty about quite how much I enjoyed it.

Biggest disappointment Holland’s descent from that unforgettable opening performance against Spain to diving their way past Mexico and out-intimidating Costa Rica to reach the semi-finals. Their widely-celebrated use of Tim Krul in a decisive schoolyard-bully role in the quarter-finals was a particular low. During the knockout rounds the underdogs were generally a credit to the tournament, while the favourites grimly did whatever it took to succeed, and most frustratingly they always did.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) Manuel Neuer; DeAndre Yedlin, Mats Hummels, Giancarlo González, Philipp Lahm; Javier Mascherano, Arturo Vidal; Xherdan Shaqiri, James Rodríguez, Neymar; Thomas Müller. Costa Rica’s Jorge Luis Pinto is in the dugout.

Innovations for 2018 Retrospective punishment for simulation. Also, force teams to go for the win rather than settling for penalties by doing away with shootouts and playing as many 15-minute chunks of extra time as it takes to find a winner (the final could go to a replay).

What now for England? It’s easy to point the finger at the manager, but I’d point the finger at the manager. Roy Hodgson chose the team the media demanded, then reacted slowly and badly to adversity and tactical shortcomings and used his substitutions poorly. Costa Rica’s success in Group D and beyond showed up his failings more starkly than Italian qualification would have done. England’s players are decent enough; it’s the coaches we need to worry about.

Dominic Fifield

Match of the tournament The group stage was crammed with fine contests, but the Germans’ ruthless drubbing of the hosts, Brazil, took the breath away. That 18-minute spell in the first half defied belief as a nation’s aspirations died a death. The sight of Luiz Felipe Scolari deliberating with his coaching staff as the second goal was shipped, debating how to shore things up, and looking up to discover his team had conceded two more summed up the chaos.

Player of the tournament Thomas Müller of Germany. The Bayern Munich forward is only 24 and already has 10 goals at the World Cup, a staggering return and one which should see him eclipse his compatriot Miroslav Klose’s recently established record tally of 16 for the tournament. The man rarely hogs the headlines, but he is a phenomenon.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez’s volley on the turn against Uruguay. Loved the way he had a quick glance to gain his bearings while waiting to collect Abel Aguilar’s headed pass, then took one touch on his chest to gain the space and another to dispatch it beyond Fernando Muslera.

Personal highlight The welcome I was afforded by students – bright, enthusiastic and eagerly seeking to practise their excellent English, putting my own pidgin Portuguese to shame – in the Pavão-Pavãozinho favela in Rio de Janeiro as their English teacher showed me round the school.

Biggest disappointment Diego Lugano’s mystifying attempts to suggest Luis Suárez had done nothing wrong after biting Giorgio Chiellini. And the striker’s own all-too-obvious subsequent “apology” to smooth his £75m move to Barcelona. All too predictable, but still utterly depressing.

Team of the tournament (4-3-3) Guillermo Ochoa; Pablo Zabaleta, Mats Hummels, Stefan de Vrij, Philipp Lahm; Toni Kroos, Javier Mascherano, Juan Cuadrado; James Rodríguez, Thomas Müller, Alexis Sánchez.

Trickiest off-field moment Having to explain to two receptionists, in separate incidents, that in my permanently dozy state I had just left my mobile phone in the taxi which had delivered me to the hotel and so wondered if they’d mind calling up the cab firm to help retrieve it. On both occasions the handset was returned. Which is more than can be said for my sunglasses (currently somewhere at the bottom of the ocean just off Copacabana).

Fondest memory of Brazil Leme, Copacabana, the Maracanã, Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf, Pavão-Pavãozinho, Urca, Ipanema, Santa Teresa ... Rio de Janeiro.

Innovations for 2018 We’ve had shaving foam to mark free-kicks so, quite frankly, anything goes from now on in. Toothpaste to designate the penalty spot? Actually, maybe coloured heat sensors on kits to indicate shirt pulling? Or simply more involvement for the fourth official ...

What now for England Simply to continue the development of the younger players in the qualification campaign for Euro 2016, most likely without the likes of Steven Gerrard, Phil Jagielka and Glen Johnson. The sense of realism should be maintained. Other national sides boast young players who are already well established – Paul Pogba with the French, for example – and are ahead of us, but England are locked into a long-term process. This is no time to rip things up entirely. There is promise out there; it just needs to be realised.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luis Suárez's all-too-obvious apology after biting Giorgio Chiellini was a depressing blight on a wonderful tournament.

Amy Lawrence

Match of the tournament Germany’s 7-1 masterclass against Brazil will always live in the memory for being at once shocking and stunning. Also loved Holland v Spain, Brazil v Chile, USA v Belgium and Germany v Algeria.

Player of the tournament Javier Mascherano – flawless display after flawless display, having to guard his team over three extra times in the knockouts. Inspired Argentina to go mightily close against a better team with stronger resources.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez’s volley against Uruguay.

Personal highlight Honestly, the whole experience of a World Cup in Brazil was one huge highlight.

Biggest disappointment Brazil’s awful frontline. It was like a bucket of cold water being thrown on lifelong ideals to come to this cradle of attacking football and be presented with Fred, Hulk and Jô.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) Neuer; Lahm, Vlaar, Hummels, Blind; Mascherano, Khedira; Rodríguez, Kroos, Robben; Müller

Trickiest off-field moment A ferocious stomach situation four hours before the World Cup final which made me wonder if I would make it into the stands at all. Tip: vegetarianism tricky in Brazil.

Fondest memory of Brazil The Argentinian supporters partying on the Copacabana with the kind of emotional vigour we are not used to in Europe. On the eve of the final, watching them sing and run like lunatics into the sea, while a supermoon sat above the horizon, was special.

Innovation for 2018 Shoulder pads added to kits to prevent teeth indentation.

What now for England? A friendly against Norway which will irritate Premier League fans for breaking up the start of the season. Hard to predict instant optimism.

Stuart James

Match of the tournament: Spain 1-5 Holland. An extraordinary scoreline that kind of set the tone for the tournament and in particular the brilliant group stage. It just felt ridiculous to see Holland cutting one of the world’s greatest teams to ribbons in that second half, especially when it was the opening match in the group and Louis van Gaal’s team had arrived with such modest expectations.

Player of the tournament: James Rodríguez. A beautiful footballer. Had the privilege to watch him live twice. Touch, awareness, skill, lovely passes, goals of every description – he’s got the lot. A gem of a player.

Goal of the tournament: Rodríguez, the dink against Japan was sublime but his volley in the Uruguay game eclipses it – wonderful technique. Robin van Persie’s header against Spain was incredible, plus Tim Cahill’s volley against Holland deserves to be up there. I guess Mario Götze’s World Cup-winning goal should also get a mention – this could go on and on.

Personal highlight: Seeing Cahill’s goal for Australia against Holland, in a cracking game, was something special, and Colombia were a pleasure to follow. But watching Brazil in Brazil in a World Cup, on a night when Neymar scored two (against Cameroon), would have to be top of the list. Even Fred notched that evening – another “I was there” moment.

Biggest disappointment: I was gutted Colombia didn’t get back to 2-2 against Brazil in the quarter-final, because I’m convinced they would have triumphed in extra time. Also, the knockout stage, with the exception of a couple of matches, petered out a little bit in terms of the goals and entertainment value. Finally, and rather oddly, the coffee – it was bloody awful. What on earth that is about I’ve no idea. But, to be clear, this isn’t a whinge. I loved the World Cup.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1)Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Giancarlo González, Daley Blind; Javier Mascherano, Toni Kroos; Neymar, James Rodríguez, Arjen Robben; Thomas Müller

Trickiest off-field moment The logistical nightmare I feared beforehand never materialised and, by and large, everything ran fairly smoothly away from the stadium. Well, apart from when I nicked a German’s barstool in a hotel after he popped outside for a fag before extra time started in the Algeria last-16 game. He quickly opened the door and gestured for me to leave the seat. I responded: “Haven’t you seen enough of this?” He didn’t appreciate that comment. I looked for another chair.

Fondest memory of Brazil The night I rocked up at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse in Brasilia, after watching Colombia beat Ivory Coast earlier in the day, and spent the evening with four Los Cafeteros supporters, who refused to let a lonely and sad Englishman (Roy Hodgson’s boys had just been turned over by Uruguay and were on their way out) order a table for one. They were brilliant company – and there were great scenes later in the evening, when Greece’s goalless draw with Japan confirmed Colombia’s place in the last 16.

Innovations for 2018 A few thoughts: 1 Scrap the third-place play-off, which must be the most meaningless game in football; 2 Go back to the days when the groups were organised in geographical clusters, which reduces the financial burden on supporters; 3 Ditch the Golden Ball award if it’s just going to be given to the biggest name rather than the best player in the tournament.

What now for England? The introduction of a B league to enable us to bring through the next generation of England players so that we can win the World Cup in 2022. Dear me. Cloud cuckoo land.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Germany's 7-1 destruction of Brazil is the match that will live longest in the memory.

Hadley Freeman

Match of the tournament Has to be Brazil v Germany, doesn’t it? Otherwise, USA v Belgium.

Player of the tournament My head says James Rodríguez, my heart says Tim Howard.

Goal of the tournament RVP’s header against Spain. He looked like a dolphin leaping through the air.

Personal highlight Riding in a lift with Thierry Henry. He didn’t ACTUALLY proposition me, but I could tell he was definitely thinking about it.

Biggest disappointment USA not winning the World Cup. But it will totally happen in 2018. USA! USA! USA!

Team of the tournament (er, 4-4-2) Tim Howard; Sepp Blatter, A completed Panini sticker album, Pitbull, Glenn Hoddle’s camel toe, A big pile of manioc flour (an essential side dish in Brazil); A Chilean fan who stormed the press centre before the Chile v Spain game, Brazuca (the World Cup’s Twitter account), The Brazil fan photographed eating a flag when his team lost to Germany, Dr Steve Peters (England’s psychologist); Luis Suárez’s teeth, Mario Balotelli’s mismatched neon trainers.

Trickiest off-field moment Either being held in São Paolo airport for 13 hours because of “visa problems” or being homeless for one night in Manaus because the hotel gave my room away to some England fans.

Fondest memory of Brazil The acai bowls! Literally, the tastiest things I have ever had.

Innovations for 2018 England to be slightly less depressing, USA to win.

What now for England? Please learn to be slightly less depressing. It’s depressing.

Owen Gibson

Match of the tournament Brazil 1-7 Germany. There were more exciting matches. There were higher quality matches. There were certainly closer matches. But nothing could come close to the shock and awe of seeing Germany tear the hosts to pieces within 30 extraordinary first-half minutes.

Player of the tournament Arjen Robben. Chosen over perhaps more eye-catching candidates for the way he dragged an average Holland side to third place through skill, pace and sheer force of will. Whenever his team needed them most, he was always on hand to drive them on.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez v Uruguay. Almost impossible to call but the irrepressible Colombian just edged another show-stopping volley from Tim Cahill for precision and beauty. When it crashed past Fernando Muslera and in off the underside of the bar, it confirmed that a global star was born.

Personal highlight Sitting in the Maracanã for the aforementioned Rodríguez goal was pretty special. But being in Rio later that night as hordes of Colombians celebrated their first quarter-final – 20 years after the dark days that followed the 1994 World Cup – and partied with Brazilians daring to believe after sneaking past Chile was truly memorable.

Biggest disappointment Spain. To see a side that have redefined the way football is played fall apart in front of your eyes was guiltily thrilling, especially as they were torn apart by first Holland and then Chile, but also quite sad. Also felt for the England fans who had flown out for what turned out to be a dead rubber in Belo Horizonte. And, of course, the whole of Brazil following that semi-final.

Team of the tournament (4-1-4-1): Keylor Navas; Philipp Lahm, Giancarlo González, Mats Hummels, Daley Blind; Javier Mascherano; Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos, Lionel Messi, James Rodríguez; Thomas Müller.

Trickiest off-field moment Removing the ubiquitous Argentinian Bad Moon Rising chant from my brain aside, it was the conspicuous lack of tricky off-field moments that made this a thoroughly enjoyable tournament to cover. Even in (sometimes seemingly endless) transit, there was always a television on hand in an airport, a bus or a taxi to avoid missing any action. Though when the television in question was being avidly watched by a driver weaving through the São Paulo traffic at 60mph, that was not so good.

Fondest memory of Brazil Has to be the barnstorming atmosphere created by the land invaders from neighbouring South and Central American countries – and the good grace and hospitality with which the Brazilians responded. Like their teams, the Chilean, Colombian, Costa Rican and American fans were a breath of fresh air. Oh, and playing football with Cafu at the grand old Fluminense ground that hosted Brazil’s first ever international match wasn’t too shabby either.

Innovations for 2018 Abandon the ridiculous conceit of not grouping group stages in geographical clusters. Fifa and organisers blamed one another for the madness of teams and fans flying thousands of miles around the country during the group stages, but it must not be repeated in Russia. By grouping matches in sensible clusters, it will make it easier for hosts and fans alike.

What now for England? In the short term, the longest and most tedious qualifying process in history. The Wembley marketing department will really have to earn their corn. But without more honesty about England’s underlying failings, a fundamental rebalancing of priorities and meaningful progress in bringing through more young homegrown players in a structured fashion then it’s hard to see things getting much better any time soon.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Arjen Robben is Owe Gibson's player of the tournament for the way he dragged an average Holland side to third place. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/REX

Barry Glendenning

Match of the tournament Belgium 2-1 USA in the second round. Having softened up USA for 90 minutes only to be repeatedly foiled by dogged defending and the heroics of Tim Howard, Belgium introduced Romelu Lukaku with devastating effect. Even then, the spirit shown by a USA team comprised of players so exhausted they could barely walk was little short of heroic.

Player of the tournament Philipp Lahm is consistently excellent and never seems to win any awards, so hopefully this accolade from me will make up for the disappointment of him never winning the World Player of the Year gong.

Goal of the tournament That chest and volley-on-the-turn from outside the penalty area by Colombia’s James Rodríguez against Uruguay was a little bit special. Honourable mention: Tim Cahill for that splendid left-foot volley for Australia against Holland.

Personal highlight The sight of the famously laid-back Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi losing his rag with Nicola Rizzoli when the Italian referee sprayed “imaginary foam” (© Phil Neville) on his boots while marking 10m for a free-kick during the Slaughter of Spain in Salvador.

Biggest disappointment That the best showing of African teams in World Cup history amounted to no more than three victories and three draws in 17 matches, and included several squad meltdowns, the delivery of a convoy of cash to Ghana’s headquarters and thus far unproven allegations of match-fixing against Cameroon.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) Claudio Bravo; Pablo Zabaleta, Stefan de Vrij, Mats Hummels, Philipp Lahm; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javier Mascherano; Lionel Messi, James Rodríguez, Arjen Robben; Thomas Müller.

Innovations for 2018 Dispense with the third-place play-off. Sending Brazil out to face their public so soon after that astonishing humiliation at the hands of Germany was little short of cruel and Holland clearly didn’t fancy it too much either.

What now for England? Qualification at a canter for Euro 2016, which will help fuel delusions that performances in Brazil were not as bad as the results suggested. Whether or not it was due to the travails of a long season is debatable, but Roy Hodgson’s team didn’t look fit enough, let alone good enough to bring anything to the Brazilian party.

Andy Hunter

Match of the tournament Brazil 1-7 Germany. The World Cup’s equivalent of Larry Holmes battering Muhammad Ali. You knew the latter had gone years ago but that didn’t make the execution any less shocking, saddening or compelling.

Player of the tournament James Rodríguez. Brought goals and grace to the tournament and his treatment by Brazil in the quarter-finals underlined how cynical and pragmatic the hosts have become.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez’s magnificent volley against Uruguay.

Personal highlight There were many, but looking around the magnificent Estádio Mineirão as almost 50,000 Colombians, all in yellow, belted out their national anthem before the first game against Greece was something special.

Biggest disappointment Luis Suárez. A stain on a glorious tournament.

Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1): Tim Howard; Philipp Lahm, Ron Vlaar, Mats Hummels, Faouzi Ghoulam; Javier Mascherano, Toni Kroos; Lionel Messi, James Rodríguez, Neymar; Thomas Müller

Trickiest off-field moment Going to a pharmacy in Cuiabá one night and being advised to remove a gold ring or risk being robbed on the way back to the hotel. Apart from that, the pre-tournament scare stories were groundless.

Fondest memory of Brazil Their passion for the game and for their national team. Everyone, whether businessmen, old women or children, appeared to be wearing yellow and green when the hosts played but that enthusiasm was not restricted to Brazil games. The country seemed to stop and celebrate every match.

Innovations for 2018 Move the tournament back to Brazil.

What now for England? Same old, same old. Once the Premier League kicks off the national team’s biennial failure will be forgotten. Instead of moaning, however, we could try and encourage change by signing this e-petition calling for the Premier League to give 7.5% of its broadcasting income to grassroots football. Only 30-odd thousand bothered to sign the e-petition the last time it was attempted (100,000 signatures are needed for a parliamentary debate) but there seemed to be plenty more wondering why England are always crap after the Uruguay defeat. So, pretty please, sign it here

David Hytner

Match of the tournament Belgium 2-1 USA in the last 16. The USA were good to watch throughout but never more so than in this high-octane thriller, which brimmed with pace and attacking intent. Belgium deserved their 2-1 win but the USA pushed them all the way, refusing to accept defeat, even at 2-0 down in extra-time. Their bravery was epitomised by the goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made a string of remarkable saves.

Player of the tournament Neymar. OK, so it ended in personal tragedy for him and humiliation for Brazil but a classic tournament needs sustained interest from the host team and, thanks largely to Neymar, we got it. The pressure on his young shoulders was obscene but he handled it with charm and swaggering style. A natural in front of the cameras, his performances were marked by technique, explosiveness, courage and the ability to make the difference.

Goal of the tournament André Schürrle v Algeria. This one did not get enough love in my opinion but it had everything. Match-changing substitute executes audacious, high-difficulty flick to score the decisive, extra-time goal for Germany in the last 16. What was there not to love?

Personal highlight Brazil’s last-16 penalty shootout win over Chile. For the tension, the tears and the trauma, this was the wildest game that I have ever covered. The Estádio Mineirão was the best stadium I saw in Brazil and, from first to last, the tie was an assault on the senses. The scenes after Gonzalo Jara’s miss for an unlucky Chile will stay with me. My ears were ringing, Hacienda-style, as I emerged from the venue afterwards.

Biggest disappointment Uruguay’s pathetic attempts to paint themselves as the victims of an international conspiracy after the Luis Suárez bite. The denials of any wrong-doing on the part of the striker, the incredulous reaction to the coverage of the incident and the various defence strategies (no, the agency picture was not photoshopped) did them no credit.

Team of the tournament (3-4-1-2): Keylor Navas; Philipp Lahm, Giancarlo González, Mats Hummels; Alexis Sánchez, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben; James Rodríguez; Lionel Messi, Neymar.

Trickiest off-field moment Running for a flight connection at São Paolo airport, after two-hour queues in passport control, I needed Gate 14D for Fortaleza but I could only see the sign for Gates 15-27. After several Lost in Translation moments and time almost up, an English-speaking airport worker saved the day with one of the quotes of the tournament. “Ah, 14D. Follow Gate 17 and it’s on your right-hand side.” And it was. Obviously.

Fondest memory of Brazil So many, but turning on the in-flight TV on a domestic connection to see Argentina v Iran live was pretty cool and it seemed to sum up how the World Cup reached into every pore of the country. Lionel Messi’s winning goal was cheered at 20,000 feet.

Innovations for 2018 Scrap the third-place play-off. Nobody cares.

What now for England More soul-searching. More commissions. More strategies. No change.

Sid Lowe

Match of the tournament Belgium 2 USA 1 was pretty tasty and was the first one I watched on telly, on the sofa, with the commentary up, which always makes a difference. Nigeria 2-3 Argentina. But the best of those I was at, and one that set up that his World Cup was going to be different, was Holland hammering Spain.

Player of the tournament Arjen Robben.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez. Or that header from Van Persie against Spain.

Personal highlight A poor World Cup performance was redeemed by six Brazilian mugs. Argentina fans singing Bad Moon Rising: what a joy to hear one of the great songs adapted to football ... and what a headache trying to translate “Caniggia vaccinated you”. Chile’s fans in Rio. Them singing the national anthem: wow.

Biggest disappointment Being too busy covering the World Cup to see the World Cup. Spain: bad team with a bad attitude (and that’s new for them), based in a city that never quite felt like it was going World Cup mad and wasn’t quite what I expected (no doubt stereotypically and narrow-mindedly) Brazil to be like. Unlike, for example, Salvador, which was fascinating and alive and everything I thought Brazil would be.

Team of the tournament (4-2-1-3) Keylor Navas; Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Ron Vlaar, Daley Blind; Javier Mascherano, Toni Kroos; James Rodríguez; Thomas Müller, Leo Messi, Arjen Robben

Trickiest off-field moment Not many. Yeah, so flight connections (and the occasional unilateral cancellation) were long and awkward but, let’s face it, that’s normal and just what happens in a big country. Besides, all that talk about travel nightmares, all those horror stories and digs at the Brazilians and so on, and the worst legs of any of my trips were the European ones. Give me a Brazilian airport and security check any day. So, no, few tricky moments. Although it was quite tricky fitting in that lift with eight Australian players. Big lads. Oh, and Chile’s fans running into the media centre in Rio. A stampede.

Fondest memory of Brazil Linhas Azul airlines: watching Brazil go through versus Chile in the air. Live TV on board. Brilliant. Almost made up* for the frustration of flying out of Belo Horizonte at exactly the same time as Brazil were playing there. (*Didn’t make up for it at all). The old town in Salvador and watching Brazil (on telly) there: that was at the very start of my time there and I thought: “Wow, I’m at a World Cup in Brazil, this is brilliant.” Didn’t really think it again, alas.

Innovations for 2018 For 2018? For now. Linhas Azul show the way. Would it really be so hard for other airlines to have live telly on board? Also, here’s an innovation that really helped this World Cup and I hope they stick with for others: a ball that’s not rubbish.

What now for England? Same as usual, presumably. Am I alone, though, in thinking that they weren’t so bad? I enjoyed watching them against Italy (made more enjoyable yet by commentating on it for Spanish radio with an Italian colleague, Fil Ricci, who gave a masterclass in English swearing).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Robin van Persie's dolphin-like header set up Holland's victory against a Spain team 'with a bad attitude'. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

Scott Murray

Match of the tournament By post-millennial standards, a decent World Cup. That’s all. But fair’s fair, it did give us one match for the ages. Brazil’s fall from grace in the Mineiraço will never have the cultural impact of the Maracanaço: the team wasn’t as good, the expectation wasn’t so fevered, and modern HD coverage will forever be an ersatz reboot of the eerie 1950 film, something intangible lost, like watching the colorized Laurel and Hardys. But that’s setting the bar absurdly high. This was epochal. Not least because it’s unequivocally the end of the Nike-authored jogo bonito prattle.

Player of the tournament The electrifying Arjen Robben. Holland would have got nowhere near third spot without him.

Goal of the tournament Not the best, but the most evocative. Toni Kroos’s first against Brazil, Germany’s third, was the one that brutally bundled a common-or-garden brisk start into the realms of the trippy and surreal. As the atmosphere sucked out of the Mineirão like a thunderclap, we had the closest taste we’ll ever get of being in the Maracanã when Alcides Ghiggia scored that goal.

Personal highlight The 10 men of Greece holding on for an hour to secure a crucial goalless draw against Japan. An ugly performance that became more enjoyable over time, revealing hidden complexities, like a fine wine or avant-garde jazz LP. When Georgios Samaras slotted away a nerveless penalty against Ivory Coast to send the scarcely credulous Greeks into the second round, it felt like joyously pulling the cork on a vintage Bordeaux, or suddenly realising Albert Ayler was playing a melody line after all.

Biggest disappointment Lionel Messi. A wonderful player, but the very best drag their countries to World Cups through sheer force of will. Right now, he’s nowhere near the pantheon containing the likes of Maradona, Pele, Garrincha, Beckenbauer, Varela and Muller. One last chance in Russia.

Innovations for 2018 Is Brazil potentially failing to qualify for the first time not enough? OK, how about an incentive scheme to stop folk loudly proclaiming the current World Cup to be the best ever? If it is, we’ll appreciate it with a little distance. In the meantime, let it be. It’s the World Cup, we’ll all still enjoy ourselves, there’s no need to force things.

What now for England? Realism is one thing. Dampening expectations to the extent that a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica was supposedly “something to cheer” is quite another. Prising the keys to the executive washroom from the clammy grip of that particular middle-management dead hand might be a start.

Team of the tournament Júlio César, Maicon, David Luiz, Dante, Marcelo; Fernandinho, Luiz Gustavo; Bernard, Oscar, Hulk, Fred. Nobody will be forgetting that lot in a hurry.

Jacob Steinberg

Match of the tournament Seeing the hosts and fives-time world champions being given the vidiprinter treatment – Brazil 1-7 (seven) Germany – is something that I will never forget. It was the most amazing match I have ever watched.

Player of the tournament Thomas Müller doesn’t possess the skill or exude the same level of glamour as the likes of Lionel Messi or Neymar, but he is an eerily brilliant player.

Goal of the tournament James Rodríguez’s volley against Uruguay. The chest control, the little look, the audacity and the ball hitting the underside of the bar before going in.

Personal highlight Luiz Felipe Scolari’s mawkish cloggers being given the hiding they deserved by a proper team.

Biggest disappointment Belgium were a waste of time.

Team of the tournament (4-3-3) Keylor Navas; Juan Zúñiga, Mats Hummels, Ezequiel Garay, Daley Blind; Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, James Rodríguez; Arjen Robben, Lionel Messi, Thomas Müller

Innovations for 2018 How about punishing teams guilty of rotational fouling?

What now for England? Building on that heroic 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. An excellent performance.

Paul Wilson

Match of the tournament I have a sneaking suspicion that World Cup 2014 is going to be remembered down the years for Brazil 1-7 Germany, whether or not such a one-sided match deserves to be pored over by students of the game three or four decades hence. It was an event as seismic in its way as anything from 1970 or 1982 so it seems churlish to complain about the entertainment value being lowered by the lack of excitement, particularly as the best two games at which I was present – Spain 1 Holland 5 and Germany 4 Portugal 0 – also turned into routs. Before Brazil’s meltdown in Belo Horizonte I might have suggested Germany 2 Algeria 1 as the most unexpectedly gripping encounter, but history seems already to have passed that by. The best period of extra time was Belgium 2 USA 1.

Player of the tournament Ought to be German, surely, so Sami Khedira, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger come into consideration. The only slight problem with Germany is that they are a genuine team, a collection of equally effective performers with no need of a go-to man. Unlike say, Argentina with Lionel Messi or Brazil with Neymar. The player of the tournament ought to be someone who has owned the World Cup, turned it into a personal showcase for his talent. In that sense even Messi was eclipsed by James Rodríguez. Arjen Robben has been prominent throughout the tournament too, though not always for the right reasons. Brilliant and influential as the Dutchman has been, it would be a shame to nominate a self-confessed diver as the tournament’s standout performer. Rodríguez burned more briefly, but very bright.

Goal of the tournament Robin van Persie’s first against Spain. While recognising the excellence of James Rodríguez’s opener against Uruguay and Tim Cahill’s unstoppable volley against Germany, I was actually at the Arena Fonte Nova for the Spain-Holland game and I don’t think I will ever forget the sight of Van Persie calculating angles and distances as he soared horizontally through the air, or the effect his wondrous header would have on his team, the game and the rest of the tournament. It was an unusual goal, in that you couldn’t see it coming and even when it was happening you could only admire the improvised yet controlled technique, and it was unquestionably one of the greatest World Cup moments. A genuinely jaw-dropping passage of play.

Personal highlight See above. Otherwise, disappointing an immigration official who thought that as an English journalist I must have met Rebekah Brooks. He seemed to think I was lying at first, not about knowing Ms Brooks, but about being an English journalist.

Biggest disappointment Argentina. At least Messi turned up. I wasn’t actually expecting Brazil to be much good, though generally you back teams playing at home. The hosts looked ropey even before the mauling by Germany. There were people convinced that they needed help from friendly officials to make it through the group stage, a suggestion that seemed extreme at the time yet makes more sense now. Although what the conspiracy theorists would make of a 7-1 defeat in the semi-final is anyone’s guess. England were a disappointment too, though hardly a big one. Those days are gone.

Trickiest off-field moment I was in Recife the day the rains came, and after the bus took almost three hours to cover the 30 km to Arena Pernambuco for USA 0 Germany 1, it was clear there would be fun and games with flooding and traffic jams on the way home. So it proved. At one point we were stuck at the same intersection for over an hour, without moving an inch. The teenage volunteers at the back of the bus asked to be let out to walk the rest of the way home – as locals, they knew the way – but the bus driver claimed it was against Fifa regulations. The volunteers started singing Beatles songs to pass the time and cheer everyone up.

After another stationary half-hour the driver opened the door and invited the volunteers to get off. That left the remaining passengers with a tricky choice. Follow them and get wet feet, possibly ending up in an unfamiliar part of the city late at night, or stay on the bus and wait. Most stayed aboard, including one guy who was becoming increasingly pessimistic about reaching the airport for a flight just after midnight. The game had kicked off at 1pm Brazil time, it was now approaching 10pm and we were still on the bus.

Finally we made an illegal U-turn to get moving, albeit in the wrong direction, at which point the driver informed us he had no sat-nav or even any local knowledge as he had only arrived from Rio the previous day. Somehow he eventually stumbled on the coast road and returned to base. It had taken nearly five hours to travel 30km and we should all have been furious, but there is always someone worse off than yourself. We were on the 5.30pm bus. As we disembarked, the 3.30pm bus pulled in behind us.

Fondest memory of Brazil I particularly liked the Bahian “mukeka” type restaurants, good for fish stews with a spicy African influence. They were quite a relief because I was beginning to find the overwhelming Brazilian preference for barbecued red meat rather dull and unadventurous. Eating out was sometimes a challenge in Brazil, but the restaurant staff were always lovely. Everyone was courteous and polite, even the drivers despite the frequency of traffic jams. Brazil was a much friendlier, safer country than I had been led to expect, though the cruel economic divisions are plain for all to see. One had the uncomfortable feeling all through the World Cup that the slogan: “The parties at the stadiums are not worth the tears in the slums” was all too true.

Innovations for 2018 Tell you what, let’s not have any. The goalline technology worked without fuss – unless you happened to be Jonathan Pearce – so let’s keep it. There were no issues with the ball, unlike that flyaway thing they used in South Africa, so let’s not make that mistake again. The only improvement I would definitely like to see made – and my hopes are not exactly high for Russia next time – is to make sure stadiums are sufficiently accessible for spectators. That may seem obvious, but Recife was a poor choice of venue even before the flooding. With inadequate roads and no direct metro links journeys between city centre and stadium were taking two hours plus when the weather was dry. Many spectators had to walk the last few kilometres, along highways with no pavements or shelter. There was a metro station reasonably close to the ground, but it could only be accessed from the airport, not the city centre. For the money that World Cups cost, and the lengths to which Fifa apparently go to select hosts and venues, these primitive complaints should not be affecting tournaments in the 21st century.

What now for England? Maybe we should start taking the Olympics more seriously. Or the Commonwealth Games. We are clearly no good at World Cups any more. One might say we are in good company, with Spain, Italy, Portugal and even Brazil sent packing from the tournament without having played particularly well, though all those teams have played well enough to progress to finals fairly recently. England delude themselves, in fact, if they imagine they are anywhere near that company. In terms of making a positive impression on the World Cup, England are way behind Costa Rica, Belgium, USA and Algeria. For whatever reason, and there is not space here to go into all the reasons, the Premier League appears to be impacting negatively on the national team. Maybe we should take the hint from Costa Rica and Algeria and send a squad of Football League players to the next tournament. At least they would have something to prove. And they could hardly do any worse.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Brazilian fans gave the tournament a special atmosphere.

Team of the tournament Tim Howard; Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Ron Vlaar, Daley Blind; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira; Arjen Robben, Neymar, Lionel Messi; James Rodríguez.

Aaron Timms

Match of the tournament Australia 2-3 Holland. The long walk to the Estádio Beira-Rio, under perfect blue skies on a cool winter’s day, was one of the happiest half-hours I have spent in journalism (how sad does that make me sound?). The match itself wasn’t bad either, with Australia briefly taking the lead against the Dutch via Tim Cahill’s pant-wetter of a volley, a scare that brought the Dutch out of themselves and coaxed finishes of supreme mastery from Robin van Persie and Memphis Depay. It was a match whose excitement and sheer volume of goals, not to say the contrast in natural talent between the two sides, captured everything that made the group stages of this tournament so seductive.

Player of the tournament Bastian Schweinsteiger. The meat at the base of Germany’s midfield whose stubby, destructive brilliance allowed the more ethereal talents further up the pitch to flutter about like so many shy butterflies in the spring wind.

Goal of the tournament. Karim Benzema v Switzerland. Not so much for the finish, which was good, as the pass that set it up, a curling masterpiece from Paul Pogba with the outside of his right foot that set the train moving, once again, on thousands of misplaced Patrick Vieira analogies (just because he’s tall and French and athletic and black and plays in midfield don’t make it right, as no one said ever).

Personal highlight Working a reference to Fernando Pessoa into my piece on the Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou. It’s self-indulgence like that, I hope, that will eventually turn me into an internet hate figure.

Biggest disappointment Cristiano Ronaldo. Three group matches and not a single pec-flex. Despicable.

Team of the tournament (4-4-2) Neuer; Lahm, Vlaar, Garay, Blind; Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Robben, Valbuena; Benzema, Schürrle. The bench will consist of Tim Krul, in case it goes to a penalty shootout, and David Luiz, in case we need something to laugh at.

Trickiest off-field moment. Not being able to get the shower to work in my hotel in Curitiba with just four hours to go until kick-off in the Australia-Spain dead rubber. I think it’s fair to say the tournament was light on tricky moments for me. Fondest memory of Brazil On match day in Porto Alegre I found myself, as a result of a hilarious drunken prank authored by Scott McIntyre of SBS TV, with fingernails decorated with pink varnish. Later, when I visited a local pharmacy to purchase nail polish remover and didn’t have enough cash to pay for cotton wool as well, the people running the pharmacy offered me the cotton wool for free. Small gestures like this allow me to confidently conclude that Brazil is the greatest of the emerging markets, and that I could anthologise my 2014 World Cup travel experiences into a book that will be read by nobody.

Innovations for 2018 A universal policy on concussion adjudication that goes beyond, “Yep, he looks right to me – get him back on there”; also, the innovation in disappearing foam for free-kicks could be usefully applied at an administrative level to create a disappearing Sepp Blatter.