Two weeks ago during his farewell testimonial match with Argentine club Velez Sarsfield, goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert stepped up to score from the penalty spot in his side's 2-1 win against a South American All Stars side. For the man affectionately known to his fans as El Más Grande, it could hardly be otherwise.
During a 24-year career, Paraguayan Chilavert became famous for his ability for not just stopping goals at one end but also for scoring them from free-kicks and the penalty spot at the other. During a career which saw him lead Paraguay to the last two World Cup finals tournaments and which also featured stints with Paraguayan clubs Sportivo Luqueno, Guarani and Penarol, Argentine clubs San Lorenzo and Velez Sarsfield as well as Real Zaragoza in Spain and Racing Strasbourg in France, "El Chila" scored 62 goals.
At the age of 39, and after having made one unscheduled return from retirement this year, Chilavert is definitely retiring.
On the field, he was an imposing presence, weighing in at about 15 stone and standing 6ft 2ins. At his best (he probably was not at his best during Paraguay's 2002 World Cup run in a tournament that came too late for him and several team-mates) he was a formidable goalkeeper - a good reader of the game, quick between the sticks and so combative it was easy to see why he captained so many of his teams, including Paraguay.
His hot temperament often got him into trouble. Playing for Velez, where he won four league titles, one Libertadores Cup (South America's Champions League) and one Intercontinental Cup, he had a series of memorable close encounters of the physical kind with Boca Junior's striker Martin Palermo.
In August 2001, during a World Cup qualifier against Brazil, he lost it entirely during a confrontation with Roberto Carlos. He later alleged Carlos had made a denigratory reference to his native Indian origins. By way of reply, Carlos received a spit in the face and might well have received something more painful had not team-mates and opponents quickly intervened.
That incident cost him a €17,000 fine as well as a four-day suspension which he carried into the 2002 finals in South Korea and Japan. Undaunted by the sanctions, however, Chilavert told reporters in the days after the match: "Rather than humiliating us, Brazil should hand over to Paraguay those lands and territories that it expropriated two centuries ago."
That remark is typical of Chilavert who has never hidden either his political awareness or his leftist sympathies. For much of his career in Argentina, he used to amuse himself by winding up Argentine opponents with a variety of pithy comments about contemporary Argentina.
Even now as he prepares for retirement, he already has plans that may lead him into politics: "For the time being, I'll be involved in running the children's eye clinic in Ascunción of which I am co-owner. Later, I may well run for State president in my country. Things are very difficult in South America, mainly because we have inadequate governing classes," Chilavert told Gazzetta Dello Sport last week.
As evidence of the "difficulties" of South America, he points out that while living in Buenos Aires he, like many other famous footballers, is constantly worried about the threat of kidnapping. His eye clinic in Asunción provides some indication of his political programme since its basic purpose is to provide free medical care for families from socio-economically deprived backgrounds.
It could well be then we will be hearing more of José Luis Chilavert. In the meantime, his free-kick and penalty skills are unlikely to be forgotten, skills that came to the fore almost accidentally when his coach at San Lorenzo, Serb maestro Boris Milutinovic, challenged him to a bit of target practise at the end of a training session.
For a joke, Milutinovic lined up a row of Coca Cola cans. Chilavert knocked them down, one by one. A goalkeeping legend was born. Future political opponents should beware. When José Luis Chilavert sets his sights on something, he often hits the target.
