After his "goal of the century" against Argentina clinched the 2014 World Cup for Germany, Mario Goetze looked poised to become "the German Messi" who would lead the national team for the next decade.
But the midfielder, who was just 22 when he came on as a substitute and hooked the ball into the net in Rio de Janeiro, has suffered a spectacular plunge from glory.
Poor form after an injury and then a debilitating metabolic disease led to him being left out of the Germany squad for the World Cup in Russia.
In a stark illustration of Goetze's battles over the past years, electronics giant Samsung has traced his darkest moments in a commercial.
The video depicts him watching TV coverage of Germany's head coach Joachim Loew announcing he will not be going to Russia, and then traces his ups and downs on the field in the last few years, and ominous shots of a hospital corridor to illustrate his health struggles.
The ad then switches gears to show Goetze fighting to get fit and win a place on the 2020 European championships team, with the slogan "what matters most is to keep trying". Loew, when he explained his decision to drop Goetze from the 2018 team, said: "Mario himself knows that this season he did not deliver the performances that he would have liked to have delivered.
"I hope that he will have a new beginning after the summer break and make a comeback," said Loew adding: "I'm awfully sorry".
More From This Section
Now 26, Goetze joined Borussia Dortmund at the tender age of eight, where he quickly caught the attention of coaches who propelled him through the club's youth teams into the senior lineup.
He was just 18 when he earned his first national cap in November 2010.
Four years later, he came off the bench at the Maracana stadium with Loew's advice ringing in his ears -- "show them you're better than Messi" -- and with a deft volley moments later gave Germany its fourth World Cup.
- 'A burden' -
==============