Once Ryan realised the importance of the meeting, he needed to summon the same nerve that had made him one of the sport's coolest customers under pressure when he and Schoonbaert locked eyes. "I was told Lorenzo had been very sick and while he'd had a lot of operations the doctors gave him no hope of recovering," he said. "Then they told me he'd be euthanised [it's legal in Belgium] the next day and I was stunned . . . speechless. "They told me what he'd been through and then I went into this little room and waited. When he walked in I was, well, I tried to think of what to say. I mean, 'all the best' wouldn't have been suitable. It affected me deeply but I tried my best to bottle the emotion up, I just tried to be positive for Lorenzo and his family." Schoonbaert explained to Ryan his one "dearest wish" before he died was to see Club Brugge win one more game. He also hoped attending the match with Dina would allow his daughter to have a happy memory that would sustain her in the years to come.

"My last dream has come true. I can die in peace now," Schoonbaert said just hours before being administered the lethal injection that ended his suffering. "I will celebrate from heaven." As Ryan prepared for Australia's friendly against Macedonia this week, he opened up about the mark an "amazing" man, who'd fought the good battle with courage, had made on him. "He was at the game with his little daughter and it put things into perspective," he said. "Winning a football game had meant everything to me a few hours before but there I was in a room with a man who'd made the decision to end his time on earth the next day. "It was tough and I've thought about it. In hindsight I realised he made that decision and I'm just happy to have played my part to fulfil his wish and maybe, well, it's my hope, that I helped give Lorenzo a bit of happiness before his time ended." Ryan, who grew up in Sydney's western suburbs, admired that the father - whose family said was brave until the last minute and surrounded by the people he loved when he took his final breath - wanted his daughter to always remember their final night together with a smile.

"She was by his side when he walked out onto the field," Ryan said. "Hopefully it was an experience she'll remember for ever. She was such a beautiful girl and I could tell by the family that surrounded [Dina] that she'll have a wonderful life and one day grow into a wonderful woman. "It pleases me to think we could provide both of them with some happiness." It was yet another experience in what Ryan described as a "crazy" 2½ years in which he'd left the A-League with a premiership title for the Central Coast Mariners; joined Club Brugge; played against Holland, Spain and Chile in the World Cup; won two major awards as the best goalkeeper in Belgium; was linked to powerhouses Liverpool and Real Madrid; was voted the goalkeeper of the Asian Cup tournament and held the trophy aloft in triumph. Two days before starring in Australia's 2-all draw with Germany, he was a member of the Brugge outfit that won the Belgian Cup and had helped that team qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time in 20 years. "You don't have much time to pinch yourself, but when I do it's great," he said. "I'm only 22 and it's only the beginning. A lot of people talk about the future but I'm one for the present and hopefully I can keep improving and one day in the future I'll look back and feel happy.

"It's been a full-on 2½ years and I'm feeling the physical affects a little bit this season; niggling injuries and taking a little bit more time to recover. It's been some time since I've had an off-season. Just before Brugge I was involved in the Asian League with the Mariners and it's crazy to think if I stay fit I'll have played over 70 games this year. "I'm not complaining. I'm utlra competitive, I just want to win everything. Coming to Club Brugge is what enabled me to go to the next level. It put me in contention for the national team. I doubt I would've achieved what I have with the national team, playing at the World Cup and Asian Cups - the club has done wonders for me. "I came to Belgium as a bit of an unknown and gave it all I could, I did my best. I wear my heart on the sleeve and the fans have taken a real liking to my passion and my performances." And on that day in the future when Ryan looks back on his career, he knows he'll remember the man who ensured his daughter would have a memory to smile about hours before he ended his pain.