This wasn't Messi versus Ronaldo in Croke Park. That it was Clifford versus Walsh was more than enough.
Enmeshed in one of those classic finals that we are thankfully sometimes treated to was a true clash of the titans.
Shane Walsh out-pointed David Clifford by nine points to eight at the end of an enthralling contest between Galway and Kerry, one short of the total scored by his manager Padraic Joyce in the Tribe's last All-Ireland victory in 2001.
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But it was Clifford who fulfilled a destiny long since laid out for him and lifted the Sam Maguire Cup with his green and gold clad team-mates, then celebrated with his son, Ógie, on the pitch.
The vanquished Walsh, meanwhile, was consoled by his mother at the front of the Hogan Stand.
The duo embellished the occasion with the brilliance of their shot-taking. Walsh in particular, it should be noted.
He converted a point in each half when he stepped inside the touchline, the first in front of the Hogan Stand, the second in front of the Cusack, that will live long in the memory. Either will do for the score of the match.
It wasn't enough. Galway put up a magnificent fight against the favourites and it was tit for tat until the closing stages.
But the fact that Walsh felt the need to go for a point from way out on the touchline in the 69th minute, when his side trailed by two points, was illustrative of the pressure the westerners felt under.
Clifford's performance was central to that creeping feeling of doom that came over the Tribe.
In the first half, the Fossa man's four points kept Kerry in touch as Galway enjoyed themselves.
Remarkably, Kerry hit seven wides in that opening period, an early Sean O'Shea miss from a free underlining his side's nervy start.
The purists dared to dream that both sides would ditch defensive game plans given their tradition of attacking football and so it proved, with Galway often taking the more direct route as Kerry tried to unlock the Tribe defence.
And Walsh prospered, freed from the shackles that made him more of a threat from frees than anything else in the semi-final win against Derry.
As he grew in confidence so, too, did Galway, who deservedly held the lead at the break.
Coming back from injury for the semi-final against Dublin, Clifford faded in the second half as Sean O'Shea took centre stage.
But this time he stayed central to the Kingdom cause.
That his last score, a free, was harsh on Galway was clear to all those watching outside of Kerry.
But all he could do was convert it, and when the flags were raised the Kingdom never fell behind again, rendering Walsh's immense efforts academic while prolonging the wait for the men from the west.
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