EAST RUTHERFORD: It was a World Cup in which football's biggest names sprinkled stardust over the tournament, yet in the end the trophy deservingly went to a formidable if unspectacular Spain side who were simply too strong, even without Lamine Yamal being at his thrilling best.
The 19-year-old winger was the focus of so much attention, but he initially struggled to find full fitness and finished with just one goal, in a group-stage win over Saudi Arabia.
This World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams, had an average of 2.96 goals per game, making it the most prolific since 1970.
Spain scored only 14 times in eight games, but they take the trophy home after silencing Lionel Messi and defeating a disappointing Argentina 1-0 at the end of extra time at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
La Roja completely outplayed the defending champions, but needed a Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute to become world champions for the second time.
The key to their success was a remarkable defence which conceded only once in the whole competition, against Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Protecting that defence as brilliantly as ever was the captain Rodri, and it was telling that he was named player of the tournament rather than Messi, Kylian Mbappe or any of the other attacking superstars on display.
There were echoes of 2010 in South Africa, when Spain won their first World Cup with a fantastic side whose success was also built around a watertight back line.
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"When you don't concede I think it is much easier to win," said Marc Cucurella, the floppy-haired full-back who recently signed for Real Madrid from Chelsea.
"We attack together and defend together, and that is one of the key things about this team."
Rodri outshines Messi
Messi and Argentina did not muster a single shot on target as their attempts to become the first team to successfully defend the World Cup since 1962 fell flat.
In the semi-finals, Spain had also shut out France's remarkable attack, including Mbappe who still ended the tournament as the top scorer with 10 goals.
