It might not have been the last dance for Jermain Defoe - more a wee shuffle towards the exit door of a spectacular career.
But the Rangers striker, who has signed on for another year in a new player-coach capacity at Ibrox, admits he and his team-mates owe a debt of gratitude to the Michael Jordan documentary which had the sporting world talking during lockdown last year.
Defoe has finally ended a 21-year wait to lift a league title and he insists watching The Last Dance – the Netflix docuseries based on Jordan’s incredible basketball career and the final year of the Chicago Bulls dynasty – fed his own hunger to be crowned a champion before it was too late.
That, of course, is exactly what transpired over the next 12 months.
But not even Defoe could have imagined Steven Gerrard ’s side would go on an unbeaten 38-game run to the Premiership crown.
The former Tottenham and England striker has won trophies down south and played at World Cups with the man he now calls boss.
But he says nothing can match the feeling of being crowned a champion at last.
Defoe told the Rangers official souvenir magazine: “Winning silverware was one of the main reasons that I came here.
“When I sat down with the manager he spoke about the main objective which was to obviously win the league title.
“It’s been many years for Rangers to have to wait and 55 league titles is something that we spoke about in that initial meeting.
“As soon as he said that to me I wanted to be a part of it. I knew that to do that together would be special and we’ve managed to do it. I can’t put into words how much it means to me.
“Watching that Michael Jordan documentary over lockdown, I got goosebumps.
“The interesting thing for me was that people think about all the trophies that Jordan won but in the first few years he didn’t win anything.
“You watch that and think ‘wow, I want to have that feeling and be in a dressing room where you achieve something special like that’.
“We all came back and all the boys were talking about it. We all just said that we can achieve this and we can get that feeling if we want.
“We’ve got the players and at that point new players would come in as well, and everyone was just so hungry from day one.
“We just wanted to do it so bad and that’s where the hunger came from.”
Defoe struck seven times in 20 appearances during the campaign as he took his career tally to 305.
That included breaking his duck against Celtic in May and getting in on the act in the 4-0 Ibrox thumping of Aberdeen on trophy day a fortnight later.
But perhaps his most memorable strike came as he hit the 300 mark against Livingston back in October.
Not only was it a landmark moment but the one touch finish from James Tavernier’s raking ball into the box was Defoe at his clinical best.
He said: “Heading into the game I wasn’t thinking about it to be honest. I actually forgot, which probably helped because you can start snatching at chances because you are so desperate to do it.
“So when I scored I still wasn’t aware, but after the game to find out it was my 300th goal was an amazing feeling. Not only that, the way I scored the goal as well made it special. The ball from Tav was world class and I just had to stay relaxed and finish it.”
Nothing can match the emotion of being crowned a champion though and the veteran marksman admits he would happily knock 200 goals off his career record for that one title.
It was finally claimed in strange circumstances with Defoe and the Gers squad in the Rangers Training Centre canteen watching Celtic draw with Dundee United.
He said: “That weekend was emotional – it was the longest match I have ever watched in my life!
“On a personal level it’s special for me but also for my family – my mum, my sister and everyone that’s been with me from the beginning.
“My family has always known that it means so much to me and I always wanted to win a league. You can win cups here and there but to win a title and be the best team, that’s so special.
“If I think about my career and what I’ve achieved and all the goals I’ve scored, I would take away 200 goals to have that moment where you have won a league title – but if you have it both it’s even better!
“That’s how much it means, winning the title is on a different level.”
