Way back on November 19 1995, Giranluigi Buffon made his Serie A debut for Parma in a 0-0 draw with AC Milan, 20 years later and he watched from the bench as Juventus fell to a 3-2 defeat to Sampdoria.
The legendary goalkeeper was unable to mark his the 22nd anniversary of his debut by stepping onto the pitch after he was rested owing to the enormous amount of physical and emotional effort he had put into Italy's unsuccessful effort to qualify for next summer's world Cup in Russia.
As if Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 weren't enough, Sampdoria piled the misery on the veteran, scoring from three of their first four shots of the game to run out shock 3-2 winners.
Since that day back in 1995, Buffon has gone on to make 626 more Serie A appearances, becoming one of the finest goalkeepers in history in the process.
Such is Buffon's legend that he was applauded by rival fans following his reaction to Italy's World Cup heartbreak. In an era when many players are accused of not caring, of feigning injury to get out of international duty and of lacking loyalty, Buffon could never be accused of any of those things.
Buffon was reduced to tears following the play-off loss against Sweden on what was his 175th and final appearance for 'Gli Azzurri' in what was a cruel, if fitting demonstration of just how much he cares for his country. For a lesson on his loyalty, look no further than the 2006/07 season, when he stayed with Juventus and helped them fight their way back to Serie A after being relegated in the wake of the 'Calciopoli' scandal.
This season looks like being Buffon's last, but his place in footballing history is certainly secured.