You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain, is the famous saying and had Jean-Philippe Mateta bowed out of his Crystal Palace career at Wembley last season, his status may be intact right now.
As it is, however, the striker is at the centre of Selhurst Park anger. The Frenchman's presence is no longer met with a group rendition of the Vengaboys. Instead, it was met with a chorus of boos when he returned from injury for the first time since his January move collapsed at the death.
In his place, meanwhile, has been Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has shown small signs that he could prove to be worth the stunning £48m fee that Palace paid out to secure his arrival in January.
Strand Larsen vs Mateta: Who should start for Crystal Palace?
Whilst Mateta's heroic, corner flag-kicking act is threatening to die a painful death in South London, Crystal Palace have been able to turn towards a new hero in Strand Larsen.
The big-money striker has scored three goals in six Premier League games for the Eagles, with one of them coming in a 3-1 defeat over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Comparatively, Mateta was struggling to find the back of the net even before he attempted to leave the club in January. In fact, the Frenchman has scored just one goal in his last 11 Premier League appearances and has netted eight all season.
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta
It's a major drop-off from last season's total, which saw the Crystal Palace man score 14 Premier League goals.
It's enough for Strand Larsen to take his place on a permanent basis and enough to raise questions over Palace's decision to sell Alexander Sorloth six years ago.
Former Crystal Palace man now outshining Mateta and Strand Larsen
Patience is rare in football, especially in the Premier League, but that's exactly what certain players need. It's what Rodri needed at Manchester City, what Roberto Firmino got at Liverpool and what Crystal Palace should have handed Sorloth all those years ago.
Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth celebrates scoring their second goal
Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth celebrates scoring their second goal
In the end, the £9m signing received just 20 appearances to make his mark in South London before being shipped off to KAA Gent, RB Leipzig and Trabzonspor on loan and an eventual permanent move to Real Sociedad. In such a short time, the Eagles were never going to see the best version of the Norway international.
Instead, they've been forced to watch on with regret ever since. Whilst Mateta's goals have dried up to signal a £48m move for Strand Larsen, Sorloth has thrived on Europe's biggest stage for a number of years.
Goals by season Sorloth Mateta Strand Larsen
25/26 16 10 9
24/25 24 17 14
23/24 26 19 13
22/23 16 4 6
Even on their best days, Mateta and Strand Larsen have not come close to Sorloth in the last four seasons. Whether it's been at Atletico Madrid or Real Sociedad, the forward has continued to prove Crystal Palace wrong.
As a consistent Champions League star, he is a cut above the Crystal Palace duo and would have solved their Mateta problem before it even became an issue.
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It would be easy for those at Selhurst Park to put their regret down to hindsight, but the numbers don't lie. They simply never gave Sorloth a fair chance and have been made to pay ever since.
It would also be easy to say that Sorloth is in a better side and received more chances as a result. Once again, however, the numbers are in his favour.
Compared to Mateta, who has underperformed his xG by over four goals and Strand Larsen, who has matched his expected rate, Sorloth has almost overperformed by three goals. He has been clinical, whereas the Palace duo have been wasteful.