FIFA World Cup 2018: France took home the trophy and Croatia ended as the vanquished, but the real winner was sport

The tears were being held back against their will, the embraces and the handshakes only added to the pain and the consoling talks aggravated the already hurting wound.

Luka Modric would not have wanted this ending at all. Zlatko Dalic would probably have felt the same, as the normally unflinching coach of the Croatian national team seemed desperate to leave the stadium in a hurry.

The runners-up, the silver medalists, the team that defied all the odds, that was what they ended up being - the vanquished. Sport, as much as it throws up heroes, never truly celebrates those who lost.

Did Croatia lose though? No, they did not. They won almost everything, played with grit and determination, and exhibited flair that few expected them to. The beauty of it all was that they became the ultimate underdog story of hope against odds, and presented themselves with incredible grace even after losing in the finals.

Yes, they lost, yes, they were finally run ragged, yes, the tiredness took its toll. But not once did the heads bow, not once did they stop running, and in the end when it ended, they held their heads high.

Modric, Perisic, Rebic, Mandzukic and the rest may still be thinking what if, but rest assured they weren't losers. The game mostly remembers the winners but in this case, the runners-up got as much applause as the winners did.

I don't mean to make this a sympathetic case for the Croatian team, far from it; they were really really good and deserved to be in the finals. When we look back in later years we should not remember this episode as one of glorious failure; instead, we should mark it as a celebration of a footballing team who played to win.

As for the winners, the lasting image of France could well be their president jumping in the air from his VIP box seat and celebrating. The image was so striking because it made everyone realize that in the end, the president, as well as the supporters, were one and the same at that moment. Sport is a great leveler, and nothing was more symbolic than seeing Emmanuel Macron jump in sheer delight at seeing his team win.

The ones on the pitch though had a mix of everything. The maligned Paul Pogba did a dab at his critics. N'Golo Kante, even though he didn't finish the game, had a tournament to remember; the little man with legs that can run all day was as ever the fulcrum of the team. And Raphael Varane was the outstanding defender of the tournament.

But the most vivid image was that of the 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe holding the World Cup trophy. He scored four goals but it was the pure fear of what he could do that had defenders all around the world scurrying for cover.

The obvious comparisons to Pele notwithstanding, Mbappe was the player who lit up the World Cup. Holding on to the Young Player of the Tournament trophy, like a kid with his pet toy, the 19-year-old defied all logic with his composure. It is moments such as these which make you realize the enormity of his achievements, price tag notwithstanding.

In the end, sport is not just about the victor and the vanquished. It is about the emotions attached to it; emotions which make everyone forget their woes, unite for their teams and welcome strangers as their own.

Sport does need winners and runners-up but in the end, it always triumphs.