Before Chelsea played Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals this week, the PR team of Zlatan Ibrahimovic conducted a hubristic social media campaign on behalf of the PSG forward. "Why would we fear the Special One's team when we have the Only One?," Zlatan's now near-parody of a Twitter account boasted. What followed was an unconvincing showing. The ball would not obey his command.
He laboured for 60 un-coordinated minutes until a hamstring injury put him out of his misery and also out of the second-leg. Another Champions League knockout tie passes without so much as a dent from Ibrahimovic. It's not inconceivable that Chelsea will turn the French over next week at Stamford Bridge and their challenge ends without him.
And then what? He'd be 33 before he has another crack at the Champions League - a prize he described as a "fixation" in his autobiography. Time is against Ibrahimovic - if not to win the Champions League outright - then at least to show his worth in the meaningful stages of the competition.
Watching Zlatan in action is a treat indeed. He is the most entertaining player at work in the world today. Matches are illuminated and turned by him. The goals he scores take the breath away. His bulk and touch forged in majestic union. There is absolutely no doubt he is one of the greatest players of the last decade. He is relentless, daring, dominant and always has been.
Cheerleaders of Zlatan, however, should accept that certain aspects in his body of work simply do not measure up. There have been more indifferent matches than brilliant ones when progress in the knockout stages of the Champions League was on the line.
Where was he when Liverpool put Juventus out in 2005 and Arsenal did similar in 2006? How come he could not inspire Inter to pass the last 16 stage when they were sweeping the board domestically during his time there? How come he was the one sacrificed, twice, when Barcelona needed to beat Inter in 2010? What did he do against Spurs for Milan in 2011?
With seven goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League since the start of his career, Zlatan is punching under his weight. Don't deny it. The only time he distinguished himself in any of those matches was against Arsenal for Barcelona in 2009 when he scored two. His overall standout Champions League moment, arguably, is four assists against Dinamo Zagreb in the group stage last season. And I say this as a staunch admirer.
Zlatan is having his greatest goalscoring season to date and there is strong evidence to suggest that he is still enjoying his peak years as a footballer. He will throw another league winners medal on the pile at the end of the season. But what does it say about him that he still cannot control these important continental matches like he can on the domestic front? Mentally, is it beyond him to do so? Because it's not for the lack of skill.
Nobody is saying that in order to be a great player you need to win the Champions League; plenty haven't. PSG are, of course, in with a great chance of winning it this season and if they were to do so - or even come close - with Ibrahimovic central to their endeavours then any lingering doubts over his effectiveness would dry up too. But his match against Chelsea did not dispel them.
