The words carried the same vapid quality as they had in the mouth of the former International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch as he successively described the Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000 Games as - "the best-ever."

Not even Samaranch could describe the 1996 Atlanta Games, with its over-commercialisation, transport problems and, pre-eminently, the bombing which claimed one life and left more than 100 people injured, as the best-ever.

Instead he settled for “exceptional'', with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution promptly characterising his remarks as "the ultimate slap on the wrist, with half the planet watching."

Twenty years later, at the close of Rio 2016 - which for all their glory and enthusiasm were badly impacted by the economic and political crises which had intruded between award and delivery - the current IOC President Thomas Bach also found the way to describe a Games that were, well, not the best-ever:

"These were marvellous Olympic Games," Bach announced. "History will talk about Rio de Janeiro before and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Olympic Games..."

As I write, by the way, Infantino is all over the World Cup presentation. Did I miss something? Did he perhaps score one of the penalties? He certainly looks like a man who believes he is the best-ever FIFA President in this the best of all possible World Cups…

Well, back to the theme.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup finals have certainly contained many unexpected results, and some sublime and stirring games of football, without obviously eclipsing ever other one of the 21 previous editions.

But. Had Infantino held his horses for a couple of days, he could well have made the same comment about the World Cup final - and with a strong case for so doing.

Argentina’s shock 2-1 defeat in their opening group match against Saudi Arabia saw their totem, Lionel Messi, leaving the pitch with a face drained of emotion. For the fans, desperate for the fabled 35-year-old to win the premier trophy in what would surely be his final attempt, the disappointment must have been bitter indeed.

But back they came into this tournament, led by the piper of genius in the No.10 shirt, and after an exhausting, switchback, monumental struggle against the defending champions of France, finally Messi and the World Cup are as one.

Two-nil up within 36 minutes through a Messi penalty and a goal from Angel Di Maria and Messi, it seemed as if Argentina had already got it won against a strangely listless French side.

But with nine minutes of normal time remaining the awesome power, speed and nerve of Kylian Mbappe, a World Cup winner in Moscow at 19, came fully into play and within the space of two minutes, extraordinarily, he had brought his side level through a penalty and a glorious volley.

The final had been framed by many as a personal contest between Messi, whose sublime, even magical gifts have illuminated the game for a decade, and the comic book dynamism of Mbappe.

Theirs was the game within a game. Messi had scored early. Late on, Mbappe saw him and raised him to sweep away the imminent prospect of an Argentinian victory. Then, with 12 minutes of extra-time remaining, an opportunist goal from Messi appeared to have shaped his team’s destiny once more.

Not so. Two minutes from time, Mbappe navigated another enormous, momentous penalty kick with supreme confidence.

And France could have won in the closing seconds but for a superb save by Emiliano Martinez with his outstretched boot from Randal Kolo Muani.

To the penalty shootout, then. Messi first - almost casual. The best start for Argentina. Next up, Mbappe. Would the French hero slip as he undertook his third critical penalty of the night? Not he.

So the personal game was done - each man having acquitted himself with historic honour. It was left to lesser mortals to succeed and fail in determining the ultimate destination of the World Cup as Argentina took victory by a 4-2 margin.

It’s rare that you see two teams, or two competitors, so utterly intent on victory that it seems impossible to separate them. The immoveable object versus the irresistible force.

In athletics terms, it was maybe Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat in the 2000 Sydney Games Olympic 10,000 metres, where the Ethiopian’s ultimate winning margin after each had surged and sprinted all the way down the final straight was less than that of the men’s 100m winner Maurice Greene of the United States.

In tennis terms, it was perhaps John McEnroe finally finding the way in 1981 to end Bjorn Borg’s run of five consecutive Wimbledon titles.

Two former England players working in Qatar for BBC and ITV respectively, Alan Shearer and Gary Neville, were unequivocal about what they had just witnessed.

"I've never seen anything like it and I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again." Tweeted Shearer. "It was staggering."

Neville, meanwhile, tweeted: "The best football match I’ve ever seen!"

Meanwhile, minds were turning to identify a previous World Cup final to match the latest one. Someone suggested 1986, when that other Argentinian football icon, Maradona, electrified the national team as it won the World Cup for a second time with a 3-2 win over Germany.

Goals by Jose Brown and Jorge Valdano put Argentina 2-0 up after 55 minutes, but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pulled a goal back in the 74th minute and Rudi Voeller equalised six minutes later only for Maradona to supply Jorge Burruchaga with the chance to score the winner with five minutes remaining.

Others harked back to the majestic 4-1 win over Italy in 1970 by a Brazilian side in which another of the world’s greats, Pele, earned his third World Cup win with one of his best displays.

While some drama and tension was created when Italy equalised Pele’s 12th minute header through Roberto Boninsegna after 37 minutes after Clodoaldo’s reckless backheel had lost possession just outside his penalty area - once Gerson put the South Americans ahead the match became increasingly an exhibition of versatility on behalf of the winners.

If you want twists and turns, the 1966 World Cup final provided them. One down after 12 minutes, the English hosts looked as if they had turned the match when Martin Peters put them 2-1 up with 12 minutes remaining only for them to concede from a controversial free-kick in the final minute.

Then came the endlessly replayed individual drama of Geoff Hurst’s second goal of the game from the shot that bounced down off the crossbar and was deemed to have crossed the line, followed by the crowning glory of the fourth goal as extra time moved to its close and spectators had already encroached on the field of play thinking it was "all over".

Hurst was the first man to score a World Cup final hat-trick; now there is a second player to have done so, albeit without earning a winners’ medal…

Twelve years earlier, hosts West Germany had won a momentous final in Bern against the acknowledged force in world football of the time, Hungary, after falling 2-0 down within eight minutes to goals from Ferenc Puskás and Zoltán Czibor.

Max Morlock pulled a goal back after 10 minutes and eight minutes later Helmut Rahn equalised. Despite a host of Hungarian near-misses the Germans earned victory through a second goal by Rahn with six minutes remaining.

Four years before that final there had been a massive shock for close to 200,000 home fans at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro as Uruguay defeated the hosts 2-1 in the decisive match of the 1950 tournament, falling behind to a goal by Friaça shortly after half-time but then equalising through Juan Alberto Schiaffino midway through the second half before Alcides Ghiggia earned victory with 11 minutes remaining.

Ultimately there is no certain answer to the question of what has been the best World Cup final, just as there can be no certain judgement over the question of whether Lionel Messi is the greatest ever player, or even the greatest player in the world right now. 

But both the match and the player are installed at the highest level of the game’s history.