Who proved decisive in the Road to Africa?

With the World Cup 2010 qualifiers drawing to a close, here we commemorate ten of the best players to have made a difference in the Road To South Africa.

Across all four cardinal positions, the men below have made a difference to their respective sides. Maybe they managed one key performance that changed the face of the campaign, or quietly put in consistent showings throughout.

This list is unashamedly subjective. No doubt all reading this have their own picks, so why not let us know via the comments feature?

10) Jean Makoun (Cameroon)

Cameroon's path to qualification is all but assured, thanks largely to the goals of Samuel Eto'o and the solid defending of the likes of Nicolas Nkoulou. But Jean-Il Makoun in the attacking midfield has also been an exemplary influence.

9) Landon Donovan (USA)

The USA have secured their place in South Africa 2010, with the young American side looking increasingly impressive as qualification wore on. But it was one of the more experienced team members, Landon Donovan, who did best of all.

8) Essam El Hadary (Egypt)

Egypt face a mammoth clash with Algeria in the final matchday, which they must win by a significant margin in order to qualify. That the misfiring Pharoahs have got this far is largely down to their veteran goalkeeper, now with Ismaily, who proves time and again that he excels on the international stage.

7) Milan Jovanovic (Serbia)

Serbia are looking to atone for their dreadful 2006 World Cup campaign, and by qualifying in emphatic fashion ahead of France they have gone a long way to doing just that. Standard Liege hitman Jovanovic led the pack.

6) Xavi (Spain)

Spain are one of just two teams to qualify with a 100% record from Europe, and given that they had a harder group than the other - the Netherlands - playmakers such as Xavi deserve praise for what has been a goal-filled campaign.

5) Wayne Rooney (England)

The Three Lions return to major tournament action after missing out on Euro 2008. Many observers describe Wayne Rooney as England's only true 'key man', and on the basis of qualification for 2010, they'd be correct. A world-class forward who is far more mature than he was in his last international outing.

4) Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

The 20-year-old Sanchez is comfortably the youngest player in the list. The Udinese attacking midfielder has been an absolute revelation for Chile, who qualified with ease from the ultra-competitive CONMEBOL pool largely thanks to his presence.

3) Luis Fabiano (Brazil)

Brazil, of course, qualified with plenty of room to spare. Despite a slow finish to qualification, the Selecao were in great form, and Luis Fabiano proved that Dunga's choice to leave out the likes of Adriano and Ronaldo has been vindicated. Away wins in Chile, Uruguay and, above all, Argentina would not have happened were it not for the Sevilla hitman.

2) Zvjezdan Misimovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina)

Picking just one player from 'BiH' is a real challenge. The eye falls instinctively on dangerman Edin Dzeko. The Wolfsburg forward's campaign was, in fact, excellent, but much of his success was down to his team-mate at both club and country level - Zvjezdan Misimovic. When the former Bayern man ticks, so does his team.

1) Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico)

He's in his thirties, he looks about fifty, but he plays with the audacious panache of a teenager. It can only be Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Mexico's path to qualification was one fraught with inconsistency and danger, but the sheer creativity of the Chicago Fire man saw the Tricolor through in fashion both emphatic and delightful on the eye.