The outburst of patriotism, even outside the environs of two London-based clubs, was understandable in the circumstances and perhaps forgivable over the fact that there wasn’t much that we English had actually contributed to what was an emotionally uplifting occasion.

Though this wasn’t what you might call a Full English breakfast at all - more bratwurst and Spanish omelette than bacon and eggs, with a spoonful of sauerkraut, couscous and a couple of frogs thrown in to make a hearty meal of it.

The result was an enjoyable feast of football, with the English sprinkling merely the condiments. Only seven players out of the 28, including subs, who participated were born and bred in Blighty. The rest were spread across four continents and a dozen nations. 

In fact, you could spot more nationalities on the field than there were in my National Health Service ward during my recent spell in hospital. And in both cases they were very good at their jobs.

The so-called all-English final featured two clubs respectively owned and liberally bankrolled by an Arab Sheikh from Qatar and an equally loaded Russian oligarch. The managers came from Spain and Germany, the losing captain from Brazil, the one who lifted the trophy from Spain and the winning goalscorer from Germany via Turkey. At least the 10,000 fans - most of them anyway - had travelled from England.

I mention all of this to emphasise just how much impact foreign imports have made on English football since Ossie Ardiles and his Argentine sidekick Ricky Villa were waved through passport control to make their mark at White Hart Lane and José Mourinho, among a legion of other outsiders, revolutionised managing and coaching the game in England assisted by deep pocketed ownership from abroad being permitted by the Football Association.

Consequently, as we saw at the weekend, English football as we have known it at club level is virtually in the grip of foreigners.

We need no reminding that no English manager has ever won the Premier League and the way things are going under wee Nicola Sturgeon north of the border the two Scottish knights who have done so may well have to be defined as foreigners in the foreseeable future.

There is no doubt good English managers are rather thin on the turf. An interesting example of this is that all three of the clubs relegated from the Premier League this season - Sheffield United, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion - were under the aegis of Englishmen at the time of their exit. 

Conversely, those replacing them from the Championship - Norwich, Watford and Brentford - have foreign bosses. And you can be sure that when currently managerless Tottenham, Wolves and Everton come to appoint a new leader, the names won’t be Anglo-Saxon.

Of course we should not underplay the feat of the former England star Steven Gerrard who as a rookie manager has taken Rangers through an unbeaten season to their first Scottish Championship in a decade.

So, despite the pandemic, football has managed to rise above its deprivations and provide us with some joyous entertainment as the curtain comes down on the strangest season the sport has ever experienced. Now the Euros are with us and at least we should be able to see what English football is made of sans the help of our foreign friends.