HIROSHIMA, Japan -- So there will not be one last league title to provide the fairy-tale finish to Tolgay Arslan's storied career.
On Wednesday, the 35-year-old -- together with Sanfrecce Hiroshima -- announced his retirement as a footballer.
Back in March, when Arslan spoke to ESPN in an exclusive interview, it might not have been a decision that had already been made -- but when he would eventually call it a day was certainly a lingering thought on Arslan's mind.
"I enjoy every moment on the pitch," Arslan told ESPN then. "I want to stop at the best moment and not kill my body until the end.
"Maybe if we are champions this year, I can finish."
It was with a soft, satisfied smile that Arslan envisioned potentially finishing his career by winning a league title with Sanfrecce.
It so narrowly eluded them in 2024 when they came from nowhere to lead the table in the business end of the season, only to slip up in the final couple of games to allow Vissel Kobe to pounce and snatch the title from Sanfrecce.
Arslan's dream of one last hurrah was not helped either by Japanese football's transition to an August-to-May calendar in 2026.
It meant that the J1 100 Year Vision League was introduced to fill the first half of this year. The format -- which divided the 20 clubs into East and West regions -- also required teams to finish first in their respective standings to stand any chance of becoming champions.
In any other campaign, Sanfrecce might still have had enough time to make up for any deficit stemming from some early-season struggles. Not in the J1 100 Year Vision League.
Sanfrecce's record of eight wins, four draws (which included two shootout wins and losses each, as the competition format saw ties decided by penalties with the victors earning two points) and six losses was only good enough for them to finish fourth in the West region.
They will play Kawasaki Frontale at the weekend to battle it out for the overall seventh position.
While the mind is still willing, it is perhaps the body that has made the decision for Arslan.
Back in March, Arslan had only just returned from a spell on the sidelines after starting the year strongly. He also missed the middle of 2025 through injury.
"My body [feels] really good," he had shared. "I had a really good recovery.
"Of course, when you're out for such a long period, you're more hungry. Even this season, I played the first three games.
"I don't know my body to be honest. We'll see.
"Mentally, I'm very strong. Anyway, my game is not based on physicality or speed. It's based on technique and understanding the game. That's why I'll see."
But Arslan has now sat out Sanfrecce's past four matches. ESPN understand it is due to fitness concerns.
It is uncertain if he will be symbolically included in the squad for their final game of campaign against Kawasaki on Saturday, but a retirement ceremony for him will take place after the match.
A proper chance to be applauded into retirement is no less than Arslan deserves.
He had always been realistic enough to accept he was closer to the end, rather than the beginning, of his career.
He was already 33 when he moved to Hiroshima for his latest adventure, having started out in his native Germany at Hamburg, moved to Turkey -- where he traces his ethnicity to -- to play for two massive clubs in Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe, had a taste of Italy with Udinese, and spent a year in Australia with Melbourne City before making Japan his next port of call.
Even then, he was determined to prove that he was not just heading to Hiroshima "for a holiday" and wanted to play a pivotal role in the club's fortunes. In his own words, he wanted to give the people of Hiroshima something to remember him by.
It may ultimately not be a first league title since 2015 but Arslan still contributed to triumphs in the J.League Cup and Japanese Super Cup last year.
Off the field, he also spoke about how rewarding it was to be able to guide some of his younger teammates even in the simplest of ways.
"I think I would be the happiest guy if I ever see many of them [playing] in Europe," he said.
"And hopefully in Germany, because I'm from Germany."
Arslan certainly will deserve the hero's farewell he will receive at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on Saturday.
Yet, it will also provide him the opportunity to show his appreciation to a club and city that welcomed him and his family with open arms, and that have made them feel at home right from day one -- to the point he now feels "10% to 20% Japanese".
Just because he is hanging up his boots does not necessarily mean Arslan will be saying goodbye to football for good, even though he is dabbling in real estate and could follow the same path as his father.
He believes he could suit a sporting director role, and has already done relevant studies to ensure he is well qualified not just from his playing experience, but from an academic point of view.
The end of this story only paves the way for the start of the next for Arslan.
It is perhaps fitting that the final chapter of his playing career took place in a country like Japan that highly values achieving a state of zen. Even more so in a smaller, quieter city like Hiroshima, as compared to the noisier chaos that can be Tokyo or Osaka.
Even before he had made his decision, Arslan had already reflected on all that he achieved with a sense of contentment, and an inner peace that it was all coming to a close.
With the final chapter he wrote in Hiroshima, Tolgay Arslan picked up another two pieces of silverware but, perhaps more importantly, ended it all of with one final sense of fulfilment.