Five years ago, when Qatar made history with their first AFC Asian Cup triumph, two players shone brighter than all others.
With a staggering nine-goal haul -- a new record tally in a single tournament -- Almoez Ali picked up both the Top Scorer and Most Valuable Player awards.
Yet, an equally-deserving MVP would have been Akram Afif, who was at his creative best and as influential as Almoez with an equalliy-remarkable tally of ten assists.
Both were just precocious 22-year-olds at the time.
From the hunters, Qatar will now be the hunted as they look to become the first team in two decades to successfully retain the trophy.
But if their opening display is anything to go by -- as they kicked off their Group A campaign on Friday evening with a 3-0 win over Lebanon -- they have every chance of going back-to-back as long as they can call upon Almoez and Afif, who are now 27 and should be close to the peak of their powers.
In a game where Qatar enjoyed the dominant share of possession but initially struggled to break down the opposition, it was the duo who proved the difference as they looked a class above the rest.
Just when it looked like Lebanon may leave their opponents frustrated at the break, Afif found the breakthrough right on the stroke of halftime when he was set up on the edge of the area by Almoez and clinically dispatching a shot into the bottom corner.
11 minutes into the second half, it was Almoez's turn to find the back of the net as he was picked out by a superb cross from Mohammed Waad and made no mistake in sending a header past Mostafa Matar.
By now, the three points were safely in the bag but, just for good measure, Afif added a third in injury-time with a brilliant individual effort -- charging at the heart of the opposition defence and breaking free with a searing turn of pace before doubling his tally with another tidy finish.
Even from these opening performances alone, it is easy to see just how important the two will be -- and the Qatar camp will have some nervous moments overnight after Almoez limped off with 12 minutes remaining, although there did not seem to be too much concern over the niggle.
In a team brimming with talent, there will of course be others who will play their part over the next month or so.
Centre-back Al-Mahdi Ali Mukhtar was a formidable presence alongside Lucas Mendes and showed why Bassam Al-Rawi -- a key figure in the 2019 triumph -- now has to bide his time on the bench.
Captain Hassan Al-Haydos will always be a keen contributor in the middle of the park even if he is getting on in years, while rising star Yusuf Abdurisag looked lively after being handed a starting berth by coach Tintín Márquez.
Still, if Qatar go deep into the tournament as expected, tougher tests will arise and that is when they need the cream to rise to the top.
Evidently, that comes in the form of the the brilliant pair that is Afif and Almoez.