Football is a very cruel sport. It is why promising talents so often see their prospective careers ruined by injury, and why the best players do not always end up with the biggest trophies.
Pernille Harder is the best player in the world right now. There are few people who would argue with that.
But when the 27-year-old takes to the field with Wolfsburg on Sunday in the Women’s Champions League final, she will be looking for a title that has so far eluded her.
Lyon, Wolfsburg’s opponents, have won this competition four years running. The pair have met in every single one of those campaigns, with Lyon winning on each occasion – including in two finals.
Harder has tasted all but one of those defeats since arriving in Lower Saxony three-and-a-half years ago.
Back-to-back winners in the continent’s premier competition in 2013 and 2014, signing one of the best players in the world was a signal of intent.
Since Harder's arrival, it is no coincidence that Wolfsburg have absolutely dominated on a domestic level, winning all four Bundesliga titles on offer as well as all four German cups.
A forward who has found a home in the No.10 role just behind the incredibly talented Ewa Pajor, Harder has scored 103 goals in 111 games in all competitions for the club, including 38 in 32 games this season alone.
They are other-worldly numbers – and that is without factoring in the rate at which she regularly racks up assists, too.
Getty/Goal“Pernille is always in the right place at the right time because she really watches the game,” Ella Masar, one of Harder’s former team-mates in Germany, told the Offside Rule Podcast.
“What makes her so special is her understanding of where the players are around her. A ball will come to her and she’s so intelligent to know where to go because she knows where her opponents are.
“On the pitch she works so hard, she has a huge desire to win and she’s one of the most attacking intelligent players I’ve seen, she creates so many goals for herself.
“You can’t coach what she has, it’s given.”
For all her talent though, and for all the talent around her that has made Wolfsburg the dominant force in Germany, they have failed to transfer that to the European stage.
This team is a unbelievable. Players such as Alex Popp and Lena Goessling are legends of the game, remaining from the side that won back-to-back Champions League titles under Ralf Kellermann.
Svenja Huth is another to win this competition, with Frankfurt in 2008 and 2015.
Complementing the experience of those serial winners is an array of young talent, which includes talented goal-scorer Pajor, the always-impressive Ingrid Engen in midfield and teenager Lena Oberdorf, Goal’s inaugural women’s NxGn winner earlier this year.
Harder is their focal point, a player who is capable of producing match-winning magic at any moment; a leader who captains her national team and sometimes wears the armband for her club as well.
But if Wolfsburg are to clinch the Champions League title, they are going to need to produce an absolutely flawless team performance against a Lyon side that hardly ever under-performs.
Even on their off days, winning comes so naturally to the French giants that it rarely matters.
GettyImagesAsked what motivates her in the build-up to this final, Lyon captain Wendie Renard simply said: “I just want to win, win, win, that’s the only thought in my head.” Nothing sums up the club more.
It would perhaps be harsh to suggest there is a any kind of losing mentality on Wolfsburg’s part given their regular defeats to the defending champions.
Moreover, Lyon just seem to have the winning experience that always gets them over the line, with Renard adding: "We respect everyone and stay very humble because we know it’s very difficult, but we’re very experienced and that’s our stength."
However, on Sunday, some of their most important players from the last four years will be missing.
Ada Hegerberg, the first ever women's Ballon d’Or winner, and centre-back Griedge Mbock Bathy are both injured. Amandine Henry, one of the best midfielders in the game, could be missing with a knock. All three have been huge in Lyon's four successive title wins in this competition.
But, with Lyon’s possible weaknesses, this is a fantastic chance for them to end their wait for a Champions League title. After all, this team is more than good enough to secure European glory, especially with a game-changer like Harder in their ranks.
And with rumours now circulating that she will leave for Chelsea after the final, there would be no better way for the best player on the planet right now to say goodbye to a club that has helped elevate her game to a whole new level.