We’ve just witnessed a thrilling football tournament which, in many respects, encapsulated human nature at its best. Meanwhile, life has been going on, and democracy is increasingly under threat across the world. Is there a link between the two competing tendencies, from which we can learn – and that might even justify prime editorial space being devoted to a piece about the beautiful game?

The World Cup has just ended in Moscow. In so many ways it was a thrilling tournament, which climaxed in a final that was full of drama, excitement and heartbreak. Which is as it should be, but often isn’t. Add a touch of genius and a measure of calamity, and it was a game that had it all!

There was nothing cagey about this battle. An intense month of football ended with a contest which did full justice to the simple truth that the struggle for the golden trophy is the world’s greatest sporting carnival, with France prevailing 4-2 over Croatia.