There is something seductive about going out on top. Few things in sport are more shrouded in legend than the walk-off home run, the last-minute winner or the champion who retires undefeated. Always leave them wanting more, the thinking goes. Except, I’m almost certain this is horribly wrong.
From a fan’s perspective, I can see the appeal. The clarity of a record unsullied by the natural diminution of skills, physical and mental. A player in decline can still be great, but that’s hardly the point. They aren’t as good as they once were. And the direction of travel is pointing only one way.
