A moment to make a man the hero of his nation dashed away before he even had the chance to make the lonely walk from the centre circle. So were the circumstances which befell Portugal attacker Cristiano Ronaldo in the European Championships this summer.
What five minutes before he had hoped would be the crowning glory of his tournament turned out to be nothing more than a mirage in his mind as Spain won the semifinal penalty shoot-out before Ronaldo even had a chance to take his penalty.
A shootout is a pressure situation, no doubt about it. And to go last in the shoot out, possibly needing to score from it to save and prolong the competition for your entire nation, well, that kind of thought does not sit well on everybody's shoulders.
Make no mistake about it, for all that he wanted to simply win the shoot out and progress to the final, Cristiano Ronaldo elected to be the fifth and final taker for Portugal because he also wanted to be the one who knocked out Spain, who won the match, who took the plaudits and camera shots and screams of joy from the fans.
It didn't work out that way, and instead Ronaldo was left standing in the centre circle, just one of 11 players who played no part at all in the shootout.
Instead, he watched on as four Real Madrid teammates progressed to the final and further national team glory, the kind which has evaded Portugal for all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a hugely talented football player and a fantastic athlete, with an impressive profile from a commercial point of view who has a fierce, fierce desire to win.
All of these attributes combined make him a key player with one of the biggest sides in the world, a first-name-on-the-teamsheet and a world record signing.
But aside from all of those key skills, he has an individualistic streak in him which makes him always want to be the one who makes a difference, always score the best goal, always be named the most important player and always score the crucial goal.
This self-centred aspect of his game saw him come undone against Spain and more than that saw his team come undone.
It is likely, however, that the very same reason will spur him onto even greater heights during the forthcoming 2012-13 La Liga season than he attained last year. An unprecedented 60 goals for Real Madrid in 55 matches, including a thoroughly ridiculous 46 goals in just 38 La Liga matches.
Incredible statistics, memorable statistics and unbeatable statistics.
Except for, of course, one Leo Messi. Messi had to go one better, scoring 73 times in all competitions and hitting four league goals more, in one match less.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave himself a "10 out of 10" for his performances last season, but he'll still have to improve even further to topple the phenomenon that is Messi.
The European Championships disappointment will provide the spur that he needs to go on and do just that.
Real Madrid won the league last season and will be favourites to do the same again, despite Barcelona's fantastic squad and ability.
Ronaldo will do everything in his considerable power to help his club retain the title, and even go on and win the Champions League too. He will do it because he wants to win every game, and be the one who makes a difference.
This burning desire to be the number one player makes a big difference in a lot of games.
But while he is trying to claim that best player in the world title for himself, and shooting his team to glory along the way, he might want to keep that penalty shoot out against Spain in the back of his mind.
A little humility can go a long, long way.
Taking the team-first option once in a while might not put his own name in lights immediately, in the way that taking the first penalty in a shoot out might not have, for example—but perhaps then Portugal would have reached the final and he would have had a chance to write his name in far, far greater and brighter lights in the final itself.
Real Madrid will be supremely difficult to stop next season as they bid to win back to back La Liga titles, and in no small part that will be down to the efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo.
But no matter if he betters his statistics from last year or not, unless he changes his approach and mentality just ever so slightly, there will remain the lingering doubt that he is trying to win the games not for his team but for himself.
And in doing so, the game's very greatest prizes—individually and collectively—might just continue to evade him for a little while longer yet.
Jason Kidd Dirk Nowitzki Jerry Stackhouse J.R Smith Kenyon Martin Chauncey Billups
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