In TS Eliot's 'Murder in the Cathedral', the character of Thomas Becket warns himself against committing "the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason." The noting of doing something good but solely for personal glory or gain immediately came to mind with the news of the death of Joao Havelange on Tuesday.
There will be mixed reactions to his passing within the footballing world. This was a man who was implicated in multiple corruption scandals during his time in charge of FIFA - and yet he is also undeniably responsible for the globalisation of the beautiful game.
In his youth, Havelange competed in two Olympic Games, first as a swimmer in Berlin in 1936, and then again in Helsinki 16 years later, as a member of Brazil's water polo team. He continued to swim 1,000 metres a day into his nineties. He was a true force of nature and his zest for life was matched by his thirst for power.
Indeed, a ruthlessly efficient character with a PHD in law, he served in several administrative roles before becoming president of the Brazilian Sports Confederation in 1958. He held the position for 15 years but his spell at the helm of football's governing body would be far longer - and far more successful.
When Havelange came to power, in 1974, football was shamefully Euro-centric. At the time, Africa and Asia shared just one World Cup qualification berth between them. Havelange quickly set about rectifying the imbalance, expanding the tournament from 16 to 24 teams, and then to 32. He also introduced World Cups at Under-17 and Under-20 level, as well as overseeing the creation of a tournament for women.
He dedicated himself to the countries that had been overlooked and ignored for so long. "I clocked 26,000 hours in the air, the equivalent of spending three years in an airplane," he subsequently claimed. "The only country I never visited was Afghanistan, because they wouldn't let me in."
Regardless, he succeeded in his goal in taking football into uncharted territory, with membership of FIFA rising by a third to 200 countries during his 24-year tenure.
Havelange also transformed the way in which FIFA was run, turning what had previously been a cash-strapped organisation with just 11 employees into a billion dollar empire.
"I found an old house and US$20 in the kitty," he later explained in an interview with the body's official website. "On the day I departed 24 years later, I left property and contracts worth over US$4 billion. Not too bad, I'd say."
Not bad at all - but not good either. There were concerns over just how Havelange had gone about his business. It was alleged that he may have amassed more than $50 million in bribes from the sale of World Cup TV rights to International Sport and Leisure (ISL) in the 80s and 90s.
He was set to be prosecuted over his alleged impropriety but the charges of embezzlement were dropped in May 2010 after he handed over CHF500,000.
That did not stop his successor, Sepp Blatter, turning against him, though, with the Swiss threatening to strip his former mentor of the title of honorary president of FIFA in 2012.
"He (Havelange) is a multi-millionaire," the Swiss told SonntagsBlick. "That he received bribes beggars belief for me. He does not need it.
"I will suggest to the (executive) committee that the issue be dealt with at our next congress. He has got to go. He cannot remain honorary president after these events."
In the end, Havelange elected to stand down in April 2013 because of his mounting health problems and he ultimately succumbed to the effects of pneumonia at a hospital in his native Rio on Tuesday.
However, while the man may be gone, his legacy will live on. Joao Havelange changed football, for better and for worse.
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