Chile came this close to defeating Brazil on Saturday when striker Mauricio Pinilla hammered a rocket off the crossbar in the 119th minute. The brutal near miss became even more brutal when the host country advanced on penalty kicks.
Just days after the heartbreaking moment, Pinilla channeled his inner masochist by getting the moment forever imprinted on his flesh.
ÍDOLO: MAURICIO PINILLA (@pinigol51) se tatuó el travesaño del partido #BRA – #CHI (Fotos vía @conejosanchez23 ) pic.twitter.com/yRUC454iRP
— Christian Pino L. (@christianpino) July 1, 2014
Otra de Pinilla. pic.twitter.com/kQmNFmuBFr
— Marcelo Amigo S (@conejosanchez23) July 1, 2014
The tattoo comes complete with a haunting inscription of “one centimeter from glory.”
The artwork will be a constant reminder of the most disappointing moment of Pinilla’s playing career. That is to say: it was a very bold choice. You don’t see Bill Buckner or Chris Webber sporting ink of their championship heartaches.
Then again, perhaps becoming the living version of Gordon Bombay will lead to an awesome movie franchise in which Pinilla leads a group of ragtag kids to a championship.
That would really be the best possible ending here.
[H/T: Buzzer on Fox]