Jack Grealish finally ended the saga over his international future when he announced his decision to take his chances with England rather than the Republic of Ireland.
The 20-year-old Aston Villa midfielder gave Roy Hodgson the answer he wanted and Martin O'Neill the one he was dreading as a prolonged pursuit came to a conclusion on Monday.
Let's takes a look a what was said as the two nations fought for an emerging talent.
Republic assistant manager Roy Keane on the influence of Grealish's father (pictured below), November 2014: "Sometimes it's respect, you don't want to pester people but, unfortunately, a lot would be coming from Jack's dad.
"Knowing his dad, we could be waiting a bloody long while."
Villa boss Tim Sherwood on how the midfielder had to earn his call-up by either nation in April 2015: "It's up to Jack where he wants to go. It's purely up to him.
"What I've got to do is make sure he's got that decision to make. He must be doing something right for Aston Villa if he's got those options. That's my priority.
"Then it's up to Jack to decide where he wants to go. I had the same situation with Nabil Bentaleb, who could have played for France but decided to pick Algeria.
"I did have a chat with him and he asked me what to do. I just said, 'You've got to go with your heart. Do you think you're French or Algerian?'.
"That's the decision he had to make and now Jack has got to make that decision. He has to play a few more times for Aston Villa before he needs to make that decision."
England manager Hodgson in May 2015: "If he doesn't want to play or he has doubts, then don't play. We are doing them a favour by picking them - not them doing us a favour by turning up."
Former Ireland full-back Kevin Kilbane, May 2015: "The only thing I can really say to him is to go with what he wants, what his heart is telling him. That's the thing about international football, it must be what you want."
Ireland boss O'Neill, June 2015: "What I've said to him is that he's a fairly decent chance, a better chance, of getting into our team than he would have of getting into England in the foreseeable future. There's wee things we think that we might be able to help along the way."
Keane during the same month, June 2015: "He's a really nice kid. People have been too hard on him lately, and if he comes and plays for us, brilliant. But if he goes and plays for England, then you have got to respect the decision. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant. You have got to accept it."
Hodgson, apparently losing patience, in September 2015: "I'm not 100% certain of what he is waiting for. I would like him to come out and say, 'I've thought about it, I've got the two possibilities and I'm opting for England' and then he will be available for selection."
O'Neill, responding to his England counterpart with tongue firmly in cheek a few days later: "'Well, that's encouraging, it's encouraging, anyway. Roy is not going to hang around, so well done Roy, putting the pressure on."
