As the Portugal players sang and danced well past midnight in celebration of their Euro 2016 triumph on Sunday, it all seemed a bit much for the man whose goal had brought them their first major title.
While some were determined to get the party well and truly started, 28-year-old forward Eder left the ground quietly, though with a smile on his face, to walk into a new chapter of his life.
“It was a part of the team’s work which was the result of all our efforts,” match-winner Eder said of his brilliant 22-metre strike in the 109th minute of the game. It was the only goal of a match which at times bordered on the attritional.
“The fans, the manager and the whole staff have supported us fantastically,” he added.
Eder made his name with Braga but a big-money move to Premier League club Swansea City in 2015 has not turned out as hoped. He failed to score, rarely started and was promptly shipped off to Lille on loan where six goals in 13 games at least gave him a positive start to 2016.
That saw him included in the Portugal squad but in France, before the final, he saw only limited action from the bench in draws with Iceland and Austria.
“He said to me: ‘Coach, I’m going to score’,” Portugal boss Fernando Santos said after France were dispatched. He had brought Eder off the bench in the 79th minute to replace tiring teenager Renato Sanches.
The goal more than justified Eder’s inclusion in the squad which had been questioned by many after his weak displays in Portugal’s 2014 World Cup campaign. Prior to his wonder-goal against France, he had found the net only three times — all in friendly matches — for his country.
“The ugly duckling is now a beautiful swan,” Santos said. “We won with a goal from Eder — that’s two cherries on the cake.”
But even before his goal, Eder had contributed to the Portuguese play with his strong physique providing an excellent target up front and his presence allowing Nani to return to his stronger position out wide.
And when the chance came, he took it with aplomb, superbly moving away from marker Laurent Koscielny before rattling a powerful shot low into the bottom corner.
“It was crazy,” Eder said of being buried under a pile of delirious teammates when the ball hit the net. “It is a very special goal, it was the winner. We have believed from the very first game we could develop to this.”
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, substituted after an early injury, said he “felt earlier that he (Eder) would score” in the final, a tale confirmed by the hero of the day.
“Ronaldo told me I would score the winning goal,” he said. “He gave me strength and energy — that was essential.”
And, even if Eder never scores another goal in his life — unlikely a prospect as that is — his legacy is more than secure.
“He has gone through the big door into the history of Portuguese football,” the sports newspaper A Bola said. “A goal for eternity.”