Cristiano Ronaldo wept tears of despair then tears of joy as the Euro 2016 final took him on an emotional journey from his lowest low to the high of lifting Portugal's first major trophy.
The 31-year-old Real Madrid superstar carried his country's hopes into the final against hosts France in Paris not only as Portugal's captain but also the player who posed the greatest threat to Didier Deschamps' side.
It looked like all the aspirations of Ronaldo and Portugal would be shattered when he was taken off on a stretcher after 25 minutes following two attempts to battle through a knee injury sustained in a seventh-minute collision with France's West Ham United midfielder Dimitri Payet.
And yet, as this long night at Stade de France ended with an ecstatic Ronaldo lifting the Euro 2016 trophy, his earlier heartbreak will surely have been erased.
He may have only played 25 minutes - but such was the pure theatre of his presence on and off the pitch that this was almost 'The Ronaldo Final'.