He was the difference. He was what Zlatan Ibrahimovic had hoped to be. The egos landed in the second-half at the San Siro, and Paul Pogba won. It was his goal that saw Manchester United through to the last eight, and nobody could deny him: even God.
It was Ibrahimovic – who else – who spoke as a deity this week, announcing his return to international football. God was back, he said. So it must have come as a surprise on Thursday night to be eclipsed by a player he would have seen more as a disciple, when they were team-mates together at Old Trafford.