Sightings of Roy Keane were thick on the ground in Cork prior to Saturday's match between Ireland and Cameroon - but in reality the closest you could get to the player was to spend time with fans in pubs who were wearing masks of their hero.
Locals at the Templeacre Tavern in the northside suburb of Gurranabraher continued to rally behind the former Ireland captain, but they didn't allow their allegiance to Keane to have a bearing on their support for the Irish squad.
The owner of the bar, Michael Ahern, said people in the area will continue to back the Irish team, even though they still fail to understand why Keane wasn't reinstated in the World Cup squad.
"We are behind Roy. I don't feel as if he has done anything wrong. If he comes in here everyone will treat him well. Cork people totally back him even if people outside the county don't always agreed with us," Mr Ahern said.
Punters with painted faces and tricolours draped over their shoulders thronged the bar as they struggled to come to terms with the loss of their "Captain Fantastic."
The World Cup t-shirt business has gone into overdrive since the start of the Keane/McCarthy debacle, with local entrepreneurs recording huge sales for a jersey bearing the words: "Bring back Keano - A Cork legend shot in the back."
Meanwhile, Len Downey (30) of Gurranabraher, who played football alongside Keane as a teenager at Rockmount FC, says he has fond memories of a small player who had drive and determination in abundance.
Keane's dream was to play for an English team and despite being on the short side he truly believed he would make it some day.
"He wanted to play over there - we all did. But Roy had that extra bit of dedication. We were a bit lazy. I played with him in under- 15s, under-16s and youth soccer for Ireland and he had something which set him apart."
Mr Downey, who watched the game at his home in the northside suburb of Gurranbraher, said he could never have imagined what was in store for Keane when he left Ireland in 1990 to play for Nottingham Forest.
Keane's transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 1993 was an incredible achievement for the young League of Ireland player, who was signed to Cobh Ramblers in the late 1980s.
"It is funny really, because Roy was always a Spurs fan. But he is so committed to United. We were over there a few years ago and he was saying, lads, why don't you support United? We are big Liverpool fans but he is OK with that. He looks after us well when we go over."
The fiasco of recent weeks in Saipan, which saw Keane's expulsion from the Irish squad, took the gloss off the World Cup for many people in Cork.
"He is one of the top three players in the world. Who wouldn't miss him? Roy is determined to win at all costs. The training facilities weren't up to scratch in Dublin, never mind in Saipan. Roy does everything 100 per cent and this just wasn't right for him."
However, Mr Downey says the country should continue to cheer on the Irish squad even if it is without its inspirational captain.
"Keane is a huge loss, but I don't go along with this business of supporting Cameroon instead. If Roy comes back here in the meantime he will get a great reception. He is loved here."