The lowest point - Montenegrin football is right there, on the brink of collapse, after the disastrous result in Torshavn, where the national team suffered its heaviest defeat since 2007.
It is not the most convincing, but it is the most painful, although, paradoxically, it could even be very healing, at least on a psychological level.
This 0:4 from the Faroe Islands, or as we often say in our country, derogatorily, from the fishermen and waiters - should serve to break with the past once and for all.
And that means - never, literally never again, on any occasion, in any public address, the platitudes about qualifying for a major competition, as a dream, a chance, a possibility...
That everyone who is in any way involved in Montenegrin football, including the media - perhaps especially the media, accept the reality as it is - that the Montenegrin national football team is currently a lower European class, a team that is far from any high ambitions, such as appearing at the European Championship...
Talking about it, even thinking about it, after the night of the Faroe Islands debacle, four consecutive defeats in the ongoing qualifiers and a goal difference of 0:12, with the fresh memory of the Nations League fiasco and relegation to the C rank, seems extremely painful and sad, and not just unrealistic.
For starters, it would be very healing if the words that Mirko Vučinić uttered a few minutes after the game were constantly in people's minds, in public space, and were to be a mantra for the future.
Modesty, or rather humility, is not a weakness - but a very useful trait in sports, as well as in any business.
This does not mean not having ambition or desire, but being aware of your capabilities and working quietly, under the radar and without big words - just like those much bigger and more successful than us do.
This is the principle that guides, for example, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić.
Humility is a word he uses often, and how far Croatia has come in recent years. No euphoria, no pomp, no announcements - just work, continuity and, probably, faith in the process.
Montenegrin football does not need new slogans, nor new promises about "struggle" and "chance" to qualify for a major competition.
What is needed, to begin with, is a simple admission - that we have fallen, that we are at the bottom, and then a promise that we want to start over. With work, vision and basic respect for the game, opponents and our own limits.
So how far can one go, and there is no shame in being weaker than others, if the limits of one's own capabilities are reached.
Because football is not just about victories, but also about being aware of where you are, with the determination not to give up and to be better each day than you were the day before.
Bonus video:
