Sharing the same birth year of 2002, Suphanat Mueanta and Arif Aiman are now slowly but surely approaching their prime.
Once bright prospects who provided the occasional match-winning cameo, both are now bona fide stars who should be expected to play influential roles for their respective teams.
But as Buriram United eliminated Johor Darul Ta'zim from the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday with a 1-0 second-leg win in the round of 16, the proceedings illustrated a stark contrast between two players who have long been viewed as Southeast Asian football's next big things.
Suphanat is now back with Buriram after trying his luck in Europe.
It is easy to dismiss his time in the Belgian Pro League with OH Leuven as a failed attempt but he ultimately can claim to have made 16 top-flight appearances in a prominent European league with a goal to show for his efforts.
Having achieved all there was to achieve domestically, with three Thai League 1 titles, two Thai FA Cups and two Thai League Cups to his name even before he turned 21, Suphanat -- at the very least -- went out of his comfort zone and made an attempt to further his career.
Buriram welcomed him back with open arms at the end of last year once the decision was made to terminate his loan spell with OHL.
And it cannot be ignored that Buriram coach Osmar Loss immediately looked to make him a pivotal member of his starting XI.
While the 22-year-old can play anywhere across the front line, he has primarily been fielded as the No. 10.
This has even resulted in Lucas Crispim, the previous playmaker-in-chief, being shifted to left wing-back for continental action.
Crispim, to his credit, has accepted the change in role with the minimal of fuss and, as a result, both players are thriving.
Although he does not boast Crispim's creativity and eye for a killer pass, Suphanat brings his own strengths as the attacking pivot just behind the front two of Guilherme Bissoli and Martin Boakye.
He drifts into pockets of space, links up well with his fellow forwards, and almost inevitably finds his way back into positions that let him deal damage directly on the scoreboard.
It may be a stretch to suggest Buriram have built their team around him, but they are allowing him to play in one of his preferred roles that allows him to showcase his best attributes, even at the expense of a big-name import.
On Wednesday, Arif -- who many are still waiting to see if, and when, he will get his shot at Europe like Suphanat did -- was again relegated to right wing-back.
Relegated, not in the sense that one position is more crucial than another, but in the sense that it is clearly not where he does his best work.
At the start of the campaign, Arif thrived as one of two spearheads, initially alongside Jorge Obregón before Bérgson da Silva eventually regained his place in the starting XI.
In his first four outings, Arif bagged four goals -- at times singlehandedly getting a result for JDT, as he did with a brace in a 2-2 draw against Shanghai Port.
But in JDT's relentless quest to get better, the big-name signings keep on arriving.
Ex-Real Madrid man Jesé arrived in the second half of last year and has not made much of an impact.
So, since the turn of the year, several more former LaLiga stalwarts have arrived -- including Jonathan Viera and Samu Castillejo as attacking reinforcements.
In order to accommodate all the new talent at his disposal, Southern Tigers coach Héctor Bidoglio has had to shuffle things around.
Bérgson has since largely led the line on his own, supported by two attacking midfielders -- one of which has automatically been Viera.
On Tuesday, as JDT reverted to a 3-5-2, it was Castillejo who was lining up alongside the Brazilian spearhead.
Arif, as he did against Central Coast Mariners back in January, was back at right wing-back.
That is not to say that he cannot do a job there. He has all the necessary attributes to succeed in the position, and he never has any lack of endeavour wherever he is fielded on the pitch.
Yet, JDT simply have a different level of threat in their game when he is playing in attack.
In Bidoglio's defence, this has not been a permanent switch.
Since the ACL Elite's mid-season break, Arif has played as one of the attacking midfielders against Pohang Steelers and in the first leg against Buriram.
Considering he was one of his team's liveliest players, it is rather puzzling that his magnet was moved on the JDT tactic board on Tuesday.
When he found himself in advanced positions, he nearly always created an opportunity.
A trademark burst right at the start led to Bérgson scoring inside 45 seconds -- only for the goal to be ruled out for offside upon VAR review.
Right at the death, his inventive cross that was ferociously volleyed home by Obregón looked to have given JDT a dramatic 97th-minute equaliser but they would be denied by the linesman's flag for what looked a marginal call.
The issue with Arif playing as a wing-back is he does not find himself in such positions nearly as often as JDT need him to be -- an issue Buriram do not have with where Suphanat is deployed.
Arif's disappointment was clear for all to see at the final whistle, as he sat on the turf in tears and needing to be consoled.
In their quest to get stronger, it is entirely within JDT's prerogative to continue bringing in players they feel will help them reach where they are striving for.
Still, such signings -- and the subsequent need to tinker in order to accommodate their arrivals -- cannot come at the cost of their crown jewel.