10 alternative World Cup heroes - From Batshuayi to Japan's tidy fans

At the end of the World Cup, plenty of the usual suspects were on hand to collect personal awards. Luka Modric won the Golden Ball, Harry Kane won the Golden Boot.

That's all well and good, but what about the unsung heroes? The guys who made us cry with laughter, the inspirational stories and the downright odd moments?

Well, Sportsmail is on hand to take you through 10 of our alternative World Cup heroes... and you can certainly expect the good, the bad and the ugly here.

Japan's clean-living fans

Not only did Japan upset the odds to qualify from Group H, but they also made plenty of waves off the pitch, too. Their players were impressive, but their fans were perhaps even more so.

Amazing images were shared far and wide on the internet after each of the country's four matches as the fans stayed behind after the football to clear up all of their rubbish and leave the stadium the way they found it on arrival.

The players were no different in the dressing room either, as they left the area spotless alongside a thank you note in Russian following their exit to Belgium.

The referee who took on Neymar

It can sometimes be hard managing the big personalities as a referee. Many come with reputations, and Neymar is certainly one of them. Backchat, plenty of theatrics and a tendency to go down easily are a few of the elements that have tainted the Brazilian's game, but Bjorn Kuipers was having none of it.

Wise to Neymar's naughty tricks, the Dutch referee stood up to some verbal abuse and earned plaudits from thousands on Twitter during the Brazil-Costa Rica match. With the score at 0-0, the Brazilians were growing more and more frustrated, and Neymar decided to take out his anger on the official.

He was quickly shut down by the referee, who even gave the PSG man a little push in the chest. It was quickly followed by a shout of 'don't touch me' from Neymar, but Kuipers' status was already secured. He'd given the Brazilian a taste of his own medicine and done what plenty of fans watching at home had wanted to do.

Ally McCoist and Jon Champion

Before you read this bit, just scroll down a little bit and look at the picture. Go on, do it. Now tell me: how can you not love Ally McCoist and Jon Champion?

The pair came into the tournament as one of ITV's lesser-known commentary teams, but they were quite quickly labelled the best partnership of the tournament.

Led by Champion's impressive knowledge, the pair gave the feel of two mates chatting down the pub, letting the viewers in on their bromance by adding some fun to the serious World Cup football.

One particular favourite line from former Rangers boss McCoist was this: 'Kazan has come a long way since it fell to Ivan the Terrible in 1552.' Just sublime.

Michy Batshuayi's hilarious celebration fail

When England conceded against Belgium, many Three Lions supporters were gutted... but it didn't last long. Just seconds later, laughter was the order of the day as an incredible celebration was caught on camera.

As he picked the ball out of the net, Michy Batshuayi opted to smash it back in the goal, but unfortunately didn't quite catch the strike as he would have liked and it cannoned back onto his own face.

In fairness, the Chelsea man can certainly take a joke, and he immediately posted a picture after the game alongside the caption: 'The second just before I knew I f***ed up #InternetUndefeated'

Idrissa Gueye couldn't care less

At the weekend, Everton travelled for a pre-season friendly in Austria and managed to put 22 goals past their opponents. By the final few minutes, the minnows had clearly given up... and perhaps they'd been watching one of the Toffees' own in Russia.

While playing for Senegal against Colombia, Idrissa Gana Gueye cost his side with a remarkable piece of defending, and you really do have to admire his laziness in this one. After being instructed to stand on the post, Gueye looked like he was preparing for a fashion shoot as he leaned against the woodward, hands on hips.

Unfortunately for him, the ball sailed past him and Colombia won the game 1-0. Perhaps a summer move to ATV Irdning is on the cards?

Nikola Kalinic's ego trip

You have to admire the audacity of Nikola Kalinic as he refused to come on as a substitute in Croatia's opening World Cup match against Nigeria. The AC Milan striker appeared to put his ego above his country, and was so annoyed at being left out of the starting XI, that he decided to play no part at all in the first Group D clash.

Unfortunately for him, coach Zlatko Dalic then decided that he'd play no part full stop and sent him home in shame. Perhaps Kalinic will now be regretting his decision, after watching Croatia get to the final, cementing themselves in the country's history books forever more. There's talk of him not even getting one of Croatia's 51 runners-up medals. Oops.

The passion of Diego Maradona

If you were watching any of Argentina's matches at the 2018 World Cup, you would undoubtedly have seen Diego Maradona at some point. In the stands for every match, the legendary striker was the focal point for many a TV director.

Shouting, screaming, swearing... you name it, he was doing it. There were plenty of strong opinions too, and you have to admire his passion for the country's football team despite retiring as a player over two decades ago.

Oscar Tabarez won't let anything stop him

Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez produced one of the most feel-good stories of the tournament, and there were plenty willing him on to glory when his side got through to the knockout stages in Russia.

Despite suffering from a debilitating condition called 'Guillain-Barre syndrome', which leaves him needing a wheelchair as he stands on the touchline, the 71-year-old is still going strong after 38 years as a manager.

He's passionate, professional and very, very good at what he does!

Egypt's elderly goalkeeper

Essam El-Hadary enjoyed a record-breaking World Cup for Egypt, despite them crashing out at the group stages in Russia.

The goalkeeper headed into the tournament knowing that an appearance would cement his place as the oldest goalkeeper ever to compete in a World Cup.

Not only did he do that, but he saved a penalty too - adding another record to his tally. You guessed it: he's also the oldest goalkeeper to save a penalty at the World Cup.

Roy Keane and Ian Wright

These two are like an old married couple... one minute they're arguing and the next they're laughing along like nothing had happened.

They certainly spiced up ITV's television coverage though, and were involved in a heated exchange after England's semi-final defeat by Croatia.

The duo exchanged words live on air, but were quickly back to loving each other as Wright posted a snap on his Twitter alongside the caption, 'Me and my mate'.