A year ago, Siyabonga Ngezana was viewed as good riddance by some after Kaizer Chiefs accepted the transfer offer which paved way for a move to Romanian heavyweights FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucuresti).
The slow start that Ngezana had at FCSB gave his critics reason to dance in the rain, yet when he got going, there was no stopping him.
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By the time the calendar reached Easter for the year 2024, he was the best-performing South African in Europe and within sight of the SuperLiga, which he then deservedly won with his club.
First career trophy was in the bag.
All this done through a debut season in which he had played 31 games in all competitions with a return of one goal.
Hugo Broos took notice and had the towering central defender in his starting XI for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
Ngezana will now celebrate his 27th birthday within the next fortnight having added his second trophy at FCSB within a year of his arrival.
Thursday evening was the occasion for the Romanian Supercup and, as expected, they won it following a 3-0 win over second-tier league club Corvinul Hunedoara.
While he didn't start, Ngezana did get a run after coming on after 74 minutes in what was his second appearance from the bench for the club in 32 appearances.
Second trophy won in 12 months at FCSB and out of the woods of what he had to put up with in seven years in the first team at Chiefs.
Next up for Ngezana is the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, with FCSB up against AC Virtus from San Marino in the first qualifying round.
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The 1986 European champions are expected to go through and face Maccabi Tel Aviv next.
They will have to go through a further two qualifying rounds before they get into the group stages, where heavyweights Real Madrid, Liverpool and AC Milan will be waiting.