David Weiner is a Sydney lawyer and sports journalist.

Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo...

And that little gem of a player, Andres Iniesta, can add his name to that famous roll call of World Cup game breakers. He is now entrenched in the beautiful game’s famed narrative.

Thousands of Dutch festively painted Soccer City “Oranje” before the match, but by midnight, “HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE” flashed across a skyscraper in Johannesburg’s CBD, lighting up the crisp night sky in big, bold, “Spanish Red” letters.

Nike’s pre-tournament advertising might have challenged Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery to “write their own history” in this tournament.

Instead, step up Iniesta.

The unheralded superstar in Barcelona and Spain’s ranks – who had already been instrumental in sending Chile, Portugal and Paraguay packing - finally can take centre stage.

On a night full of nerves, late tackles, and congestion, it was going to take a moment of magic to unlock two relentless defences.

Arjen Robben wasn’t up to the task. Wesley Sneijder wilted. Robin van Persie vanished. Even David Villa couldn’t quite leave his mark. Fernando Torres’ wobbly legs barely lasted 10 minutes.

But Iniesta created history on a night where it looked like both sides had the burden of history weighing on their shoulders.

This might have been Africa’s World Cup, a tournament of colour, excitement, noise and passion, but the jubilant pre-match mood - locals danced and drummed outside with all the gusto they have all month – got lost amidst nerves and expectation.

Gone was the flair of Shakira’s “Waka Waka” from the closing ceremony or the excitement of seeing Nelson Mandela grace the field pre-match.

Instead, the players might have caught a glimpse of the coat-hanger high-shot laid on a streaker by security minutes before kick-off, when he was just centimetres short of pinching the World Cup.

For a long while, the trophy looked just as elusive for both sides.

The tension in the terrace, as the cliché goes, was palpable. Where on earth was a goal going to come from? Did anyone have any idea who would win?

A match between a country that loves to control the ball and a side that loves to play with width became a battle of attrition waged within the narrow, middle corridor of the field.

It had all the caginess and caution of sport’s biggest match, where the two goalkeepers were arguably the two standout performers of the night.

The Spanish completely boxed out the Netherlands’ midfield, forcing them to go long in hope of reaching their faster players. Robben was double-teamed. Kuyt suffocated. Van Bronckhorst and Van der Wiel constantly had to worry about the presence of their opposite full backs – Ramos and Capdevila.

But the Spanish too, only showed glimpses of their best, as they were harried and pressed by a team defending in true Dutch style.

As the stalemate dragged on, Spain’s calculated gamble paid off more effectively. With Cesc Fabregas, there was an extra element of penetration. A tiring Holland had plenty to worry about. Jesus Navas stretched them with pace, Sergio Ramos surged from deep and all the while, Iniesta was probing and scheming. At the tightest of times he looked capable of conjuring the impossible. When it was laid on a silver platter, he was ready to make his mark.

Fittingly, the matter was settled with one final piercing move. Was it a move that etches Spain into the pantheon of history’s great sides? They didn’t have the swagger of Euro 2008, but they played a perfect tournament. They oozed talent from 1-23, didn’t peak in the first stage, they solved tactical problems along the way, they peaked for the business end, and when nerves struck on the big stage, they had the mentality to prevail.

Wherever they stand, their style of play, the love of possession, will forever be remembered as the hallmark of this era.

“What the hell do we do tomorrow?” a local then turned and asked, as reality dawned that we are on the cusp of one of the great hangovers. “We’ve spend every minute for four years dreaming of this. It’s been incredible – I can’t believe it’s over”.

Well, for a long, long time we’ll be dreaming of the unbelievable memories that we leave South Africa with. And Spain will forever dream of Andres Iniesta.

The newest hero for our newest world champions.