Germany, triumphing on the pitch, was not the only winner from the Fifa World Cup.
In some ways humankind was the broader victor. For it is astonishing the world can join together to compete in, watch and appreciate the sporting spectacle.
Here we are as flawed individuals, with flawed governments and institutions and even a seriously flawed administration body. Fifa seems determined regularly to score own goals.
Yet, despite all that, our species is somehow and sometimes capable of working if not in unison then in a way which produces extraordinary results.
The 2014 World Cup captured attention across the globe, including from the few nations like ours or the United States where football is not the primary sport.
It provided entertainment, interest and enjoyment and a distraction from the concerns and cares of life.
It also allowed for the expression of nationalism divorced from war, while allowing others harmlessly to take sides.
Although the identity of some people and some countries is too bound up in results - just think of the abuse hurled towards the New Zealand referee after mistakes in the Bosnia and Herzegovina's game with Nigeria or some Argentinian reactions to defeat yesterday - on the whole sport boosts senses of identity and adds a positive strand to many lives.
The 32 teams in the finals came from all over, representatives of their confederations.
In the end, the traditional power houses won through.
But not before relative minnows like Costa Rica or Algeria made a mark and previous champion Spain fell.
Then, unthinkably, host Brazil disintegrated before, finally, yesterday's exciting climax.
While most pundits believe the best team overall won, such are the margins in football that the final could easily have gone the other way.
Goals are like gold and if chances are not taken then dismal results await.
The tournament has us in awe of individual brilliance; of the remarkable feats and skills somehow displayed by fellow human beings. How can Lionel Messi twist and turn with the ball tied to his feet?
How can Arjen Robben accelerate with startling speed?
How can James Hernandez finish with precise power?
This, too, was the year when the goalkeepers - not always the most glamorous of positions - were special heroes. And there was, of course, the anti-hero in Luis (Jaws) Suarez.
Then there are all the psychological strands that sports illustrate.
How could the mighty Brazil collapse into a defensive rabble?
Why does England never seem to fulfil its promise?
Which players will thrive under pressure and who will wilt?
Whatever the failings of their team, Brazilians deserve praise as hosts.
From the stadiums to the favelas to Copacabana Beach, the football-mad nation embraced the event and its visitors, and fears of mass demonstrations and disruptions were largely groundless.
It is hard to see Russia doing so well in four years, while the dodgy decision to give the finals to Qatar in 2022 is looking all the more bizarre.
Brazil has, however, proved itself well and truly worthy as it looks forward to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The World Cup finals provide a stage for the world to interact peacefully.
There at the finals were Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.
Meanwhile, this game is one activity shared in common on the streets of Gaza and the fields of Tel Aviv.
Iraq mustered its own attempt to qualify and Iran made it to the finals.
Interestingly, the world's superpowers, the United States and China, certainly do not dominate football, although German might is reflected in its consistent success.
It now takes its place again on the game's throne.
A month of television football viewing has drawn to a close.
There will be more opportunities later to watch the stars as they compete for various clubs in elite competitions, notably for New Zealanders the English Premier League.
In the meantime, we here in the South can turn our attention to seeing one of those classy English teams, Newcastle United, live at Dunedin's stadium next Tuesday night.
