Is Diego Castro the A-League's GOAT?
In the eyes of Perth Glory players, the answer is a resounding yes.
The A-League has been blessed by the presence of some mega stars in world soccer.
Alessandro Del Piero and Dwight Yorke were arguably the two biggest names to grace the competition, while fellow imports Thomas Broich, Milos Ninkovic and Besart Berisha have also left a lasting impression.
But in terms of prolonged brilliance, it's hard to go past Castro as the greatest of all time.
There are still some people who disagree.
But if Castro can produce a match-winning display against Sydney in Sunday's grand final, his case to be the A-League's GOAT will become almost undeniable.
Former Glory coach Kenny Lowe clearly recalls the moment he first saw highlights of Castro.
It was back in 2015 when the club was searching for a star import to sign.
"I saw a video of him playing against Real Madrid and Barcelona and I started laughing," Lowe said.
"I went, 'He's not coming to us'. Is he crazy?"
Not only did Castro come in 2015, but he hasn't left, and recently signed a two-year contract extension.
At 36 years of age, Castro should be winding down.
Instead, the man dubbed 'El Maestro' has produced arguably his best season.
If it wasn't for the seven games he missed through injury, Castro would have been a shoo-in to win a second Johnny Warren medal.
The Spaniard finished just three votes behind Wellington's Roy Krishna, despite playing six fewer games.
Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy has no doubt Castro is the A-League's greatest ever player.
"Diego is the best player in the competition and has been for a number of years," Reddy said.
"He's a tremendous footballer, he's a tremendous leader of us.
"He leads with actions, and the way he plays and trains ... you feel very confident going into a game with a player like that."
Glory defender Shane Lowry also rated Castro as the league's best.
"He seems to get better with age," Lowry said.
"He's such a hard working player as well. It's not just the skills and the tricks.
"People don't see the movement off the ball, the running, the defending. He keeps his body in tip-top shape."
Castro has a bag full of tricks on the field.
But his leadership off it has also been crucial in Glory's rise this season.
Castro scored two goals in the semi-final win over Adelaide.
The former Getafe and Sporting Gijon star is now primed for one of the most important games of his career, and there will be more than 50,000 Glory fans cheering him on.
Australian Associated Press
