Talk about a no-win situation. Only a select few individuals walking the planet at any one time know what a disparaging feeling a certain set of circumstances can create. The knowledge that no matter what you do or accomplish, you will never be anything more than second best in the end.
Take the NBA for example. There have been unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime superstars like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James who have been contenders for the title of Greatest of All Time, but in the end they are pretenders for the throne. They all take a backseat to Michael Jordan, the GOAT, plain and simple.