Michael Murphy turns 30 today.
The Donegal Captain may not celebrate too heavily though as he wakes up this morning with a long winter ahead of him, knocked out of the All-Ireland Championship.
Seven years on from their ultimate victory in 2012, where it took Murphy less than three minutes to break Mayo hearts with his killer goal, Donegal bowed out in Castlebar last night.
The four-point loss that finished up 1-14 to 1-10 marks the fourth time in five years that Donegal's season has ended at the quarter-final stage.
"It's difficult to take and difficult to stomach. We didn't perform, we weren't at the levels individually or collectively as a team but credit must go to Mayo too for forcing that upon us.
"We've played them over the last number of years here in do or die league games and do or die Championship games.
"They came out on top here today, they brought a level of intensity, physicality, and football that we couldn't match today."
Bar Murphy's performance, this was a case of men against boys.
The rain that bucketed down in MacHale Park suited Mayo and their physicality as they won breaking ball after breaking ball, came out on top in tackles and made turnovers against the Ulster Champions look easy.
Donegal simply couldn't replicate their fast running game they've displayed so well throughout the summer; albeit in perfect conditions.
"It was around that middle third getting through, we had a lot of turnovers in that first half.
"It's a culmination of both our lack of execution and the pressure Mayo forced on us."
Murphy finished up the day with 1-4 to his name, the same tally he racked up in that 2012 All-Ireland Final, which saw him awarded man-of-the-match.
His penalty early on in the second half last night was crucial in keeping the tie alive.
Then in the 51st minute, Murphy scored a wonder point that brought them within a point of James Horan's side.
There was a sense around the groud that if this was going to be done it was going to be done by one man and one man alone.
Murphy got that sense more than anyone.
He tried to do everything himself.
Realising the championship was slipping away from him he took bigger and riskier shots as panic set in.
He reflected upon his frustrations after;
"A lot of wides a lot of balls dropped short, we had chances and we failed to execute them.
"Unfortunately, we came down here, we had a few injuries but we were very, very confident of the team that we had here, that we were able to come with the performance both physically and technically but we didn't come up with the goods in the end and that's a culmination of ourselves just not at it individually and what Mayo brought to us."
Michael Murphy captained Donegal to only their second ever All-Ireland ever at the age of just 23.
His first words in his victory speech were "We have him", in relation to the Sam Maguire.
Donegal had waited 20 years for that success.
It's unlikely they'll have to wait as long again but whether or not Murphy will be there if they go all the way again becomes more and more unlikely as the years go by.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, he reflected on what might have been and where they can go from here;
"It's difficult to stomach so soon after. It's an All-Ireland semi-final missed out on yet another year. We're going to have to go back and keep believing.
"I do believe what we have here is a good group of footballers and I do believe if we keep at it and keep ticking and coming back again and again that we can keep pushing on and put Donegal in a better place."
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