OPINION: Among the underlying storylines of this Football World Cup have been the legacies of superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - debatably the defining talents of a generation.
Despite all the accolades they have won over their glittering careers, neither can claim a World Cup among them, so Qatar 2022 loomed as probably their last chance to punctuate their CVs with the ulitmate team prize.
As the tournament has progressed, now into the quarter-finals, fortunes have swung wildly from one to the other, with a bizarre climax now looming.
Even if Argentina and Portugal somehow meet for the Jules Rimet Trophy, there's a very real prospect one of these marquee names won't be around to contest it.
Winners
Lionel Messi
When the World Cup began, Argentina rode a 36-game unbeaten streak that stretched back to 2019 and were justifiably regarded among the favourites to claim a third title, 36 years after their last.
Those aspirations hit a massive pothole, when they dropped their tournament opener 2-1 to Saudi Arabia - heralded as one of the biggest upsets in Cup history.
As Messi matched, then surpassed Diego Maradonna's record for World Cup games for Argentina, order was restored, with wins over Mexico and Poland, earning a knockout fixture against lowly ranked Australia.
He missed a penalty against the Poles, but has scored in every other game on their march to the quarter-finals, and while tougher opponents undoubtedly lie ahead - starting with the Netherlands on Saturday (NZ time) - the Saudi Arabia blip has not hurt Messi's chances of sealing his reputation.
Morocco
Few would have picked the North Africans, ranked 22nd in the world, as potential quarter-finalists, when this World Cup began. They were paying $201 at the TAB to win the silverware.
Their 2-0 pool win over highly touted Belgium (second) put them in the driver's seat of their group and a penalty shootout thriller over former champions Spain (seventh) has seen them into the last eight.
They aren't even African champions, but have now surpassed the fate of Senegal, who were ousted by England. Next up, they face Portugal for a spot in the semis.
Japan
OK, so their farytale run through the tournament ended with a Roud of 16 penalty shootout against Croatia.
Regardless of their results on the pitch - bearing in mind they toppled European superpowers Germany and Spain en route to the knockout stages - the Samurai Blue have won fans around the world for their dignity and that of their supporters.
Japanese fans deeply impressed their counterparts, when they tidied up trash at Al Bayt Stadium during the opening round, and have continued to conduct themselves properly, as their team tore through the draw.
Despite the painful manner of their eventual exit, coach Haijime Moriyasu took time to show his appreciation to his team's fans.
Such a show of class that others around him could learn from...
Cam Devlin
The former Wellington Phoenix midfielder became the envy of football fans everywhere, when he ventured into the opposition changingroom and snagged Messi's playing jersey, after Argentina had dispatched Australia from the tournament in the Round of 16.
Such exchanges are relatively commonplace in sport, but Devlin hadn't even made it onto the pitch during the encounter, which made his temerity even more audacious.
Even Phoenix goalkeeper and good mate Oli Sail could not believe Devlin's daring.
"I was, like, holy shit, this is crazy," Sail told Newshub. "The thing that astonished me the most is that Messi's actually shorter than Cammy and I didn't know there was anyone shorter than him."
Losers
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo arrived in Qatar, as his messy exit from Manchester United was formalised, his outrageous interview with Piers Morgan leaving his employers with little option.
Everything seemed fine, as Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups, and Portugal dispatched Ghana and Uruguay to open their account.
They hit a speed bump, when upset by South Korea, who scored their winner off a deflection from Ronaldo himself, and the captain was apparently not at all impressed with subsequently being subbed off.
The real bombshell came, when Ronaldo was not included in the starting line-up for their knockout encounter against Switzerland, with replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory.
Ronaldo made a cameo appearance, but his body langauge was appalling, and his international career may now finish the same way his EPL stint did. Imagine if Portugal win the tournament, but Ronaldo isn't around to raise the trophy aloft.
Not so much a GOAT, as just a goat right now...
Gianni Infantino
Another easy target and you have to wonder if he's already counting the days until he doesn't have to sit in his luxury box, a sitting target for paparazzi, as protests rage around him.
The latest twist to the Qatar controversy sees him being trolled by activists in his hometown, where his neighbours now have a daily reminder of the migrant worker bodycount incurred building the lavish World Cup stadiums.
Three weeks into the tournament and off-field issues still dominate headlines.
Pool of Death
Just in case any of you are still living vicariously through the teams in Group E - where New Zealand would have landed, if we had qualified - none of them have made it to the final eight.
That's pretty incredible, when you consider that pool featured former champions Germany and Spain, who were both upset by a rampant Japan.
In fact, Group E is the only pool that doesn't have a representative in the quarter-finals.
Pool of Death indeed.
Spain
They used to be the prototype for modern football, playing a high-possession 'tiki-taka' style that wore down opponents and creating a dynasty that saw them named FIFA Team of the Year from 2008-13.
The 'Red Fury' were 2008 Euro champions and became the first European side to win a World Cup outside their continent in South Africa two years later.
Alas, their current programme is a shadow of its former self, with the Spanish barely escaping their group in Qatar and then falling to unfancied Morocco in the final 16.
Since their World Cup triumph, they have now failed to reach the quarter-finals at three straight tournaments and coach Luis Enrique has already paid the price, losing his job soon after the latest early exit.
Nasser Al Khater
Qatar's human rights record has obviously come under scrutiny before and during this World Cup, with the precise number of migrant worker deaths probably falling somewhere between the 6500 claimed by activists and the three by organisers.
But the tournament chief executive's response to those questions certainly hasn't done anything to silence the critics, taking a very unsympathetic "death is part of life" attitude over the latest fatality.
Sure, the incessant questioning may be inconvenient, but someone in his position really must have a better answer than that.
Grant Chapman is Newshub's digital sports lead
