By any measure, Hiroki Sakai has had quite a career to be proud of.
He represented Japan at the FIFA World Cup in three consecutive editions en route to winning 74 caps. On two occasions, he came close to winning an Olympic medal with the Samurai Blue as they agonisingly finished fourth in both the 2012 and 2020 men's football tournament.
He had already tasted success at an early age when he played a pivotal role as a 21-year-old in Kashiwa Reysol's J1 League title triumph in 2011, extraordinarily in their first campaign back in the top flight after his debut season as a professional saw him help them win promotion from the second tier.
Then, at a time when Asian footballers were only beginning to become increasingly commonplace in Europe, Sakai racked up 238 league appearances in two of the continent's big five leagues -- first with Hannover in the Bundesliga and then in Ligue 1 with Marseille, with the latter spell also including a runners-up finish in the Europa League.
A return to Japan would bring more glory with Sakai subsequently captaining Urawa Red Diamonds to the AFC Champions League -- Asia's premier club competition -- in 2022, winning the Most Valuable Player award in the process. He could now lay claim to also being a continental champion and, now in his early 30s, it did look -- if it was to be -- a fitting final milestone to a storied journey.
Sakai had other ideas.
Rather than see out the remainder of his career enjoying the home comforts Japan had to offer, he decided he still had at least one final adventure in him -- and it led to him joining Auckland FC ahead of their inaugural A-League Men campaign.
Sakai has always been a leader in his own understated manner. He is widely regarded as a consummate professional and role model.
Still, for him to be immediately named Auckland's captain -- arriving in a country and league he had never played in previously, with a first language he is fluent enough in but never had to use primarily before -- provided further testament to the character he would be bringing into the dressing room.
Upon joining the club, Sakai said: "I had made the choice to pursue new goals and challenges so when this opportunity came up, it was a natural career progression for me, and the right move for my young family."
This new challenge would remarkably see Auckland defy the odds to finish top of the A-League in the regular season, although their quest to become champions would end with a semifinal loss to Melbourne Victory.
This season, Auckland did not claim the premiership after having to settle for a third-place finish behind Newcastle Jets and Adelaide United. Yet, most importantly, a season on from their heartbreak of missing out on the Grand Final, they triumphed when it mattered most.
On Saturday, with a 1-0 win over record five-time winners Sydney FC in this season's decider, Auckland were crowned A-League champions in only their second year in existence.
For Sakai, it was another final -- perhaps unexpected -- hurrah in the twilight of his career.
"It's been an incredible season," he said immediately after the match. "We had our ups and downs -- it [wasn't] an easy season -- but finally we did it.
"It's a special moment today because I'm 36 years old and getting old. This is very important for my career."
And you can bet Sakai meant what he said.
While his career deserves plenty of credit, he perhaps does not get the same recognition as some of his contemporaries given he did not taste the type of success they did, like Shinji Kagawa who won league titles in both Germany and England, Bundesliga champion Makoto Hasebe, or even Takumi Minamino, who enjoyed Premier League glory with Liverpool.
Sakai reached the summit of Japanese football early on, went on to have an European adventure, and returned to conquer all of Asia. Along the way, he graced football's biggest stage on three occasions.
His decision to move to Auckland for potentially his final chapter has now landed him his latest achievement in a very underrated career.