Neymar of Brazil celebrates scoring his team's second goal in its 3-0 victory over Spain in the final of the Confederations Cup.
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(CNN) -- Brazil's 3-0 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup final brought to an end an event that was designed as a test run for the 2014 World Cup hosts.
It was a tournament that was permeated by social unrest, with protesters partly unhappy over the degree of public money devoted to the staging of the World Cup.
CNN looks at five things we learned from the event.
1. Neymar is the real deal
Neymar has been touted as the latest in a line of Brazilian superstars that stretches all the way back to the great Pele, but outside Brazil many were beginning to believe the hype surrounding the young star was just that.
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Prior to the Confederations Cup his performances for the national team had been lacklustre, particular in the 2-2 draw against Chile in April, when he was singled out for jeers by Brazil's own fans.
Read: Maracana magic by Brazil to claim Confederations Cup
While most would argue that he's in no position to judge, Marseille midfielder Joey Barton's Tweet likening Neymar to Justin Bieber, and something rather unpleasant relating to cats, seemed to sum up the views of many European observers.
Following the Brazilian's $75 million transfer to Barcelona -- just before the tournament kicked off -- some were even suggesting the Catalan club had been fleeced by Brazilian side Santos.
Not any more: this was no tantalizing glimpse of what La Liga fans might be watching next season, it was incontrovertible proof of what Neymar can bring.
The 21-year-old produced a string of vibrant, flamboyant, but above all effective performances throughout the tournament, his goals and guile serving notice that he is every inch a superstar.
2. Time may be up for Buffon and company
After winning friends at Euro 2012, the Azzurri continued to show that the days of "catenaccio" are long gone, with some fast attacking football.
Italy's run in the tournament was certainly invigorating, lurching from near disaster in an extraordinary first-half capitulation against Japan, to a sublime (albeit goalless) first-half domination of Spain.
In the end they were well worth their third place, but it could and possibly should have been more.
Gianluigi Buffon is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the world's finest goalkeepers; yet his penalty saves in the third place play-off against Uruguay masked his culpability in goals conceded at key moments in the tournament.
This was not the dominant, steely-eyed Buffon of old -- particularly against Brazil, where he looked anything but solid.
Likewise, there are other old hands whose time in the famous blue shirt may be nearing its end.
Moacyr Barbosa Nascimento's life was forever changed after the 1950 World Cup. With Brazil needing just a draw against Uruguay in its final game to lift the trophy for the first time, the team lost 2-1 and he was blamed for the second goal. The goalkeeper's perceived mistake haunted him. Twenty years later he overheard a woman in a supermarket say to her son, "There is the man who made Brazil cry."
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Hours after declaring himself saddened by the need for protests against Brazil's social conditions, Neymar brought joy to his compatriots with the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Mexico.
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Given Cesare Prandelli's reluctance to start AC Milan's exciting midfielder Stephan El Shaarawy, major surgery is unlikely.
The Italian national side has always been resistant to change, as its ageing spine suggests, but it may need to pick up the pace of its evolution.
The likes of Buffon and the peerless Andrea Pirlo may have one more big tournament in them, but Prandelli would do well to blood some fresh talent in the meantime, just in case -- especially given the physical demands next year's World Cup will present.
3. Protests are a wake-up call to FIFA and Brazil
For a country that is synonymous with football, there were times during this tournament when Brazil seemed to have fallen well and truly out of love with the game -- or at least, with FIFA and the Brazilian government's interpretation of what a World Cup should look like.
As simmering social unrest threatened to boil into something more serious, the tournament's detractors grew in volume and number.
Even former star striker Romario joined a critical chorus that cited ticket prices, infrastructure costs and a questionable legacy as reasons why the Confederations Cup, and next year's World Cup, were bad for Brazil.
Read: A fair World Cup deal for Brazil
In anticipation of trouble, a reported 10,000 police were on duty in Rio de Janeiro ahead of Brazil's clash with Spain, but in the end protests were relatively low-key.
Following their team's emphatic triumph over the world and European champions, crowds spilled out onto the street and into a carnival atmosphere.
Clearly this story is not over, and there is much work to do; for now, however, football's primacy has been restored.
In fact there was much cause for optimism on the pitch.
This was a well-deserved win from a team that looks to be gaining in stature, and the atmosphere inside the Maracana for the final was profoundly imposing.
Of course Brazil won the 2009 Confederations Cup before limping out in the quarterfinals in South Africa; but this time they will be at home. The World Cup will be a tougher test; but don't bet against them.
4. Spain needs a re-boot
Finally, after a seemingly interminable period of dominance, Spain's champions look to have been found out. For clues as to how, it is hard to see beyond the Germans.
Italy really should have beaten the Spaniards after playing them off the park for significant chunks of their semi-final; Brazil's 3-0 defeat of the world champions was a muscular and ruthless final execution.
Both owed much to the approaches of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in their UEFA Champions League defeats of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Spain were hustled and hassled, with attempts to impose their intricate passing game met by fiercely committed opponents, closing them down until the Europeans simply folded.
Fernando Torres only won the golden boot because of his goals against Tahiti's part-timers. Xavi and Iniesta are still fabulously creative, but elsewhere Spain's weak links were exploited with a kind of physicality this team now seems incapable of countering.
Drained of confidence, or possibly just appetite, they looked listless and in dire need of fresh ideas.
The sight of a defender, Sergio Ramos, taking a penalty that could have brought them back into the final spoke volumes.
True Brazil had had an extra day of rest before the final, but the mask of invincibility has slipped; Spain has 12 months to work out how to set it back in place.
5. The Confederations Cup comes of age
In theory at least, the Confederations Cup is the unloved second cousin of the World Cup, the Euros and the Copa America.
Traditionally these games are seen by the cynics as little more than jumped up exhibition matches -- a mere aperitif before the main meal of the World Cup. By and large, no one really cares who wins.
This time, however, something seemed to click.
Maybe it was the location. Brazil may have some serious issues to confront, but there is something about the host country that elevated this tournament onto a different plane.
In football terms, this is about as educated as any crowd can get.
The enthusiastic way in which local fans adopted teams such as Japan, Uruguay, Tahiti and Italy conveyed atmosphere and meaning to fixtures where normally none would exist, and more than made up for the absence of traveling support.
The outcome, for the neutrals at least, was first class entertainment.
Brazil 2013 served up some of the most memorable international games of recent memory, played in front of passionate crowds in some spectacular arenas.
Read: Brazil's beautiful game?
If Brazil 2014 can pick up where this rehearsal left off, then we are truly in for a treat.
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But the build up to the final was marred by clashes between protesters and police in the streets near the Maracana.
The match itself was fully committed, with players from both sides desperate to finish the tournament in style.
The mood on the streets of Rio de Janeiro remained hostile as Brazil and Spain took to the pitch.
Many people in the streets near the stadium were affected by the effects of tear gas.
But inside the stadium, Brazilian fans attempted to put the country's problems aside for 90 minutes.
In the end, two goals from Fred (pictured) and Neymar gave Brazil an emphatic win over the World and European champions.
Brazil players Dante, left, and Dani Alves, in a wig, celebrate with their winner's medals.
Spain's Xavi and Cesar Azpilicueta of Spain appear dejected in defeat.
The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was the venue for the 1950 final, with 200,000 spectators packed into the purpose-built arena. The stadium has been redeveloped and a crowd of 78,000 people will watch the final of 2014 World Cup at the iconic ground.
All eyes will be on Neymar during both June's Confederations Cup and next year's World Cup. The attacker, who recently signed for Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth in excess of $80 million, is Brazil's star player and must perform to his best if "La Selecao" are to satisfy an expectant public.
The Brazil team of 1970, which beat Italy 4-1 in the World Cup final in Mexico, is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Pele, a three-time World Cup winner seen here leaping on his teammates, says Brazil must recover from the failure of 63 years ago.
Luiz Felipe Scolari was the coach of the last Brazil team to lift the World Cup, in Japan and South Korea in 2002. The veteran has been reappointed in a bid to inject life into an ailing Brazil team. His results have so far left much to be desired: two wins, one defeat and four draws since November 2012.
England was Brazil's first opponent at a refurbished Maracana earlier this month. A half-volley from midfielder Paulinho, pictured, rescued a 2-2 draw for the 2014 World Cup host.
Brazil's most recent match, the last before the Confederations Cup starts, ended in a comfortable 3-0 defeat of France. A penalty from Lucas Moura, right, completed the scoring.
Ask many Brazilians who is the greatest footballer of all time and their answer will be simple: "Pele." The striker won three World Cups with Brazil between 1958 and 1970 and is his country's leading goalscorer with 77 goals from 92 caps.
After a Pele-inspired triumph in 1970, Brazil would wait 24 years before lifting the World Cup again. Although the 1980s was a barren decade in terms of trophies for Brazil, the team which the South Americans sent to the 1982 World Cup is heralded as one of the most entertaining in history. Central to its free-flowing, attacking style was Zico, a midfielder of considerable craft and guile who collected 72 caps between 1976 and 1988.
When Brazil finally won the World Cup for a fourth time in 1994 in the U.S., the team was derided by some for being too functional. In a team short of star quality, striker Romario was the shining light, scoring five goals as Brazil lifted the trophy thanks to a penalty-shootout victory over Italy.
Ronaldo watched on as Romario fired Brazil to victory in 1994, four years later he was the star man at France 1998. Brazil lost the final 3-0 to the hosts, with mystery surrounding their starting 11 as Ronaldo was left out of, then reinstated to, the team for the deciding match at the Stade de France. Ronaldo's redemption arrived in 2002, when he scored both goals as Brazil beat Germany 2-0 to lift the World Cup for a fifth time.
While Ronaldo was the star man in Japan and South Korea, he was ably supported by flamboyant playmaker Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho's performance in the World Cup earned him a move to Barcelona in 2003, where he went on to win the European Champions League in 2006. He was twice named FIFA World Player of the Year.
A family of four negotiate their way to the game as riot police prevent protesters from gaining access to Fortaleza's Castelao Stadium.
Protesters confront riot police officers on the distant outskirts of the Castelao Stadium, which has been newly built for next year's World Cup at a cost of $240 million.
A police officer holds his weapon as protesters continue their demonstration ahead of Brazil's Group A match with Mexico in the ongoing Confederations Cup.
Fans hold up banners - which state that they are protesting against corruption, rather than the national team - ahead of Brazil's 2-0 win over Mexico.
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