Sad isn't it when one of football's greats decides to call time on their career.
I remember news of Pele's retirement being met with stunned silence, whilst one or two friends of mine even shed a tear when the late great Bobby Moore decided to hang up his boots. Such emotional outpourings are perfectly understandable.
It is, after all, difficult to fully comprehend that you will never again see your particular hero mesmerising opponents with their silky skills, or that the glory days you once were privileged to share with them have been brought to a shuddering halt by the ravages of time.
Asia has of course had more than its fair share of leading lights. Indeed the region is home to a whole host of superstars once capable of lighting up pitches around the world but who in 2010 can only watch from the sidelines.
Korea's Cha Bum-kun or Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata are but two illustrious names on a long list of aging Asian brilliance, a talented assortment of retirees that also - since 2007 - includes Iranian striker Ali Daei.
Aged 41 and armed with a glowing CV that includes stints in Germany and the UAE, Daei has recently, after initially resigning, returned to coach Persepolis. It's news that has well and truly warmed the cockles of my heart.
Following title success in 2007 with Saipa and an abortive coaching stint with Iran, his dramatic U-turn resulted in the struggling Tehran giants securing a much needed win and led the former engineering student to declare that: "A new Persepolis has been born."
It's a typically bold statement, and unquestionably a fitting comeback for one of Asian football's greatest ever ambassadors.
With the AFC Asian Cup looming ever larger on the horizon, I therefore thought it only fitting to rewind and relive what is for me, the greatest feat of individual skill Asia's premier tournament has ever been privileged to witness.
Let's indulge ourselves.
It's 1996 and Asia's glitterati is gathered in the United Arab Emirates to try and wrestle the continental crown from Japan. It proved to be a suitably entertaining get-together as Saudi Arabia emerged victorious to earn regional bragging rights.
All well and good perhaps, but the real magic, the real stuff of legends was reserved for the quarter-final between Korea Republic and Iran.
Kim Do-hoon had given the east Asians a 10th minute lead only to have Karim Bagheri level matters on the half hour mark. Just four minutes later, Korea surged in front again as Shin Tae-yong got his first of the tournament. It was seesaw stuff.
In what was rapidly turning out to be an epic battle, Khodadad Azizi made it 2-2 shortly after the break to give Iran renewed optimism and pave the way for Daei and the 24 minutes of football that I never tire of seeing.
The Persian dynamo bagged his first in the 65th minute, his second on 76. The Koreans were in shock.
Not content with resting on his laurels, Daei duly completed his hat-trick and then rounded off proceedings with an 89th minute penalty to cap a superb individual performance which few, if any, will surpass. Brilliance with a capital B.
Iran's joy was short-lived however as they then stumbled in a semi-final penalty shootout against Saudi Arabia following a 0-0 draw. Daei and his dazzling bag of tricks were out. Football, like life, has a tendency to be downright cruel at times!
In the wake of all that he has done, Asia owes Daei a debt of gratitude not only for keeping us spellbound over the years, but for also helping the west realise that Asians could rub shoulders with the best Europe had to offer.
Just as Cha and Nakata excelled in doing, Daei, courtesy of a stellar spell in Germany, pushed open doors that had been previously closed to talented Asian professionals.
Thanks to his always ultra-professional efforts, Europe slowly but surely started to relinquish its tired, outdated views of Asia's finest, behind-the-times opinions that, even today, make it doubly difficult for the region's better players to establish themselves.
The likes of Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, ex-Celtic ace Shunsuke Nakamura, and everyone else who has subsequently benefited from Daei's trailblazing, should be eternally grateful.
Whilst it would only be right and proper to also say that Daei should perhaps have stopped before he did - his displays at the 2006 World Cup for example were simply atrocious - it would be unfair to dwell on negatives.
Instead we must reflect on the many positives he has given to football, upbeat moments that will live with me, and a legion of like-minded admirers, forever.
If next month's AFC Asian Cup can provide us with a few moments even half as exciting as the one Daei gave us in 1996, we will be able to count ourselves very fortunate indeed.
By Senior Editor Ian Griffiths