Goran Pandev has retired from international football after North Macedonia's elimination from the European Championship.
North Macedonia were among the chief beneficiaries of changes made to UEFA's flagship competition in recent years.
The Euros were expanded from 16 to 24 teams in time for the 2016 edition. At Euro 2020, places at the finals were also offered to sides who won the Nations League play-offs - and that is the route North Macedonia took.
Pandev and his team-mates may have lost all three matches this summer, but this was an event they will never forget.
The Genoa forward, who turns 38 in July, probably thought he had run out of time to take part in an international competition.
But Pandev's final cap - he has won 122 in total - came on the biggest stage of European football.
He was given a guard of honour by his team-mates after being substituted in the 3-0 loss to the Netherlands.
Pandev is out of contract at Genoa on June 30 and his future at club level remains unclear.
Whatever the veteran attacker chooses to do, he will be supported by his wife of 12 years, Nadica Adzi Skerleva.
The couple got married in 2009 and have three children together: Filipo, Ana and Sofia.
Pandev, who has spent the majority of his career in Serie A, obtained Italian citizenship in 2019.
He still has strong links to his homeland, though, and set up an academy in 2010. The first team now plays in the Macedonian First Football League.
Unsurprisingly, Pandev is widely considered to be the best Macedonian footballer of all time.
He became his country's record goalscorer way back in 2009 and ended his international career having found the back of the net 38 times.
"I played many games with my national team," Pandev told Sky Italia last week. "I lost a lot of them, with many sacrifices. Nevertheless, we managed to play the Euros just at the end of my career, which was extraordinary for the whole country.
“I am happy my international career ended this way, I want to thank everybody, we achieved something special.”
