The eyes of the Bramall Lane crowd were riveted not on the players who had just lined up close to the centre-circle for pre-match formalities but on that beaming man with a shining thing around his neck.
Fresh from his triumph at the Beijing Olympics, Paul Goodison was given a hero's welcome by over 29,000 fans who turned up to watch Sheffield United's league match against Cardiff City on August 30.
Donning the Sheffield United shirt with the visitmalta.com logo on the front, the British sailor waved to the fans as he proudly displayed the gold medal, his reward for winning the Laser class at the Olympics.
Earlier in the afternoon, Goodison had received another warm applause as he made his way into the Directors' Restaurant at Bramall Lane.
Unfazed by the attention around him and his new-found fame, Goodison satisfied all requests for photographs and also found time to speak to yours truly about his experience in China.
"In Athens, I finished fourth and was very disappointed to miss out on a medal," Goodison said.
"I wanted to put that right and after four years of hard work, I've been lucky that everything came good when it mattered."
Going into the last race of the competition in Qingdao, Goodison held a commanding lead over nearest pursuer Rasmus Myrgren after nine races in the series.
Myrgren, of Sweden, needed to win the medal race, coupled with his rival coming 10th and last to snatch gold but was kept out of the reckoning by a 'go-slow' Goodison whose 'wily' tactics relegated Myrgren to the back of the fleet.
Goodison depicted a rosy picture of the atmosphere in Beijing, especially the contribution of the Chinese whose warmth was key to the success of the August 8-24 Games.
"It was fantastic," the 30-year-old said. "The locals were very supportive and excited about the Games, they always seemed to have a smile on their face. The atmosphere was buzzing, it was certainly a happy environment and the facilities were just amazing."
Great Britain's haul of 19 gold medals and fourth place overall in the medal table was their best in a century. Their strong showing may have taken some by surprise but Goodison was confident British athletes would shine in Beijing.
"I knew we had a very strong cycling team and an extraordinary leader in Chris Hoy," Goodison said.
"Our sailing team was the best we've ever had and to win six medals was simply phenomenal. We were all expecting Great Britain athletes to do well in these Games."
As the dust settles on Beijing with the 2008 Paralympics coming to a close on Wednesday, the spotlight shifts to London and the 2012 Games.
Goodison has his sights set on defending his gold medal.
"Taking part at an Olympic Games in your home country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Goodison said.
"I'm looking forward to 2012 and my ambition is to represent Great Britain and defend the title I won in Beijing."
Success in the Olympic Games has raised Goodison's profile to unprecedented levels but the Sheffield fan is relishing his newly-acquired popularity.
"Life is completely different after Beijing," Goodison said.
"Now I can't hide in the streets and people are coming up asking me for autographs. This gold medal opened up a whole world of opportunities and it's all just very exciting."
Asked to offer his advice to aspiring Olympians, Goodison said: "As a young sailor, I enjoyed practising the sport with my friends and I think the fun aspect should never be discarded.
"At the time, I never imagined that I had the talent to make it to the top but then I was taking part in bigger competitions and I guess I made the most of the opportunities I had."