With his headmaster-like demeanour, Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente waited patiently to lay his hands on the most prized sporting trophy in the world. He was in no haste, perhaps because he knew the trophy would be his and the wondrous band he has assembled would remain in contention for the next four years; perhaps he is fascinated more by the journey than the destination, or maybe he knows his team is not yet finished piling trophies onto the federation’s mantlepiece.He, and the whole world, could see the tidings of a footballing dynasty that could rule the world for the next decade. The second Spanish dynasty of the century, and as artful and delightful as the previous iteration, the tiki-takians.ALSO READ | Ferran Torres extra-time strike dethrones Argentina; Spain crowned championsThe route to the crown was flawless, steadily raising their tempo from a goalless draw against Cabo Verde to the remorseless annihilation of a magnificent France to gently dismembering the fight and bravado of Argentina, the defending champions, the men of moments. In the post-match presentation, de la Fuente stressed on “being faithful to our idea of football” without ever directly detailing what that idea was. There is no clearly defined or perceptible ideology here, the way there was with tiki-taka during their reign. Perhaps their idea is amorphous, too broad to pin down to a specific act.But their leitmotif is clear: to minimise the variables of knockout football and make themselves near-unbeatable, to wrap themselves in invincibility. To entirely suck the risk out of the game, not by refraining from attacking football and parking the bus, but by ensuring that everything is in order, the shape and structure, the creaks and crumples covered, like a freshly ironed suit. Spain’s leitmotiff was clear: To entirely suck the risk out of the game, not by refraining from attacking football and parking the bus, but by ensuring that everything is in order. (AP Photo)To kill teams softly, to marinate them on a slow fire, draining their hope drip by drip. It’s the most brutal murder, because they concede no chance of survival. They have not produced thrillers, because their game is fine-tuned to such precision that they avoid wild fluctuations. They have never been in a crisis, because their vision is not to wait for one but to avoid it altogether, through dynamism in pressing and clarity in thinking, passing and positioning.If their backline is impenetrable, the midfield is unbreakable, and the forward line uncontainable when in full flow. The level of sustained concentration required to defend against them, attack them, or overpower their midfield is almost indecent. Their defence wore down Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Lionel Messi. Only once has their backline been breached in the whole tournament. Only 43 shots have been attempted against them. The midfield outclassed all and sundry; the pack of forwards took turns to strike. Goals sprung from everywhere, they had seven different goalscorers. Every match had a different hero, yet there is little arrogance or ego. They can’t be conquered mentally, physically or tactically.Story continues below this adA flimsy argument could be raised that they don’t thrill, that their game is bereft of flourishes, more opera than heavy metal, even with a spirit as blithe as Yamal’s. The truth is they are so evolved that they need no theatrical embellishment or showmanship to assert their supremacy. They will be celebrated as a team that engaged the brain more than the soul, a connoisseur’s delight rather than a layman’s. Spain’s Pau Cubarsi heads the ball as Argentina’s Valentin Barco (8) defends during the World Cup final. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)Watch closer, and there is a contained beauty in every stride they take. The half-turns of Dani Olmo, the torqued first touches of Yamal, the gorgeous pass-reading of Pau Cubarsi, the svelte, slick passing patterns, their graceful control of emotions, the surreal serenity in times of crisis (if at all they face one), the geometric passing style has a Euclidean mastery to it.There could have been more entertaining teams, more romantic ones. But maybe not a more perfect one. As perfect as the tiki-taka era, when they collected three trophies in four years. De la Fuente’s group could match that, even surpass it, and transform into a footballing dynasty. The nucleus is still young, the average age is 26.2. The two most important cogs in the title triumph were 19-year-olds, Yamal and Cubarsi. They could rule football for a decade, with more talent still to spring from the vibrant youth academies of Barcelona, Atletico, Villarreal and Real Madrid (even though there was no Madrid player in the squad).ALSO READ | Messi moved to tears after World Cup defeat, admits Spain ‘better team’ in finalStory continues below this adIf the 2008-12 vintage, the team that post-modernised the game, had two pass-masters of virtuosic grandeur in Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, de la Fuente’s batch had the irresistible Rodri, the team’s ticking heartbeat. His stifling of Messi was a defensive masterclass. Messi turned him once early on, but thereafter Rodri pushed him into an airless chamber, suffocating him like a boa constrictor, tightening his grip over the greatest player ever and making it harder and harder for him to breathe. If Xavi and co. were pass-masters, Rodri and friends are space-masters. He is a role model in his words as much as his deeds. “I just want the new generations to see my example as an opportunity – when you go down you can rise again. This is my philosophy my entire life,” he said after the game. His advice to his players was simple: “We need to face them. We have to look into their eyes and see it. We win this game, and then life gives you the World Cup, or not.”In every sense, they could make a compelling case to be one of the greatest teams ever. The debates will no doubt escalate. The Brazil of 1970 is the romantic ideal. Or the French dazzlers led by Zinedine Zidane. Or Spain’s own golden generation. De la Fuente’s men belong rightly in that pantheon of greats, for the graceful efficiency with which they minimised the variables of knockout football and made themselves near-unbeatable. And their era is far from nearing its end.