Mario Gomez scored 41 goals for Bayern Munich last season yet he now finds himself shunted onto the substitutes bench by a player deemed surplus to requirements by mid-table VfL Wolfsburg.
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Mario Mandzukic spent Euro 2012 not knowing where he would be playing this season after Felix Magath, then in charge at Wolfsburg, decided the Croatia forward was more trouble than he was worth.
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Bayern, however, liked what they saw from Mandzukic at the tournament and, although his signing raised a few eyebrows, he has been the most important addition to a team which finished runners-up in three competitions last season.
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Mandzukic's performance in the Champions League quarterfinal, second leg against Juventus on Wednesday, where Bayern completed a 4-0 aggregate win, was a classic lesson in how to play as a lone centre forward.
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He tussled with defenders, created openings for his teammates, closed down Juventus when they tried to play the ball out of defence and capped it all be scoring the first goal, effectively ending the Serie A team's challenge.
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"I'm delighted about scoring, but I'm even more delighted we're through," he said after a 2-0 win at the Juventus stadium.
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"The crucial factor was that we played the way we did in Munich... We knew we had to keep our cool and score one goal, which is what we've done."
Bayern Munich would love to meet Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals instead of the two spanish teams. That would be an easy fixture