When Mauricio Pinilla showed Hearts fans what he could do - but the Chilean remains a big 'what if'

What if? It is a question every single football fan asks themselves from time to time. It might be a random thought one day, or they see a clip which invokes feelings of nostalgia and allows the mind to wander, or it may be a pub discussion with pals.

The ‘what if?’ can relate to so much. A player, a match, a moment, a pass, a refereeing decision.

For Hearts fans, they have plenty.

What if George Burley hadn’t been sacked. What if Craig Levein played that day at Dens Park? What if John Colquhoun had scored in the Olympic Stadium against Bayern Munich?

The Chilean ‘what if’

Mauricio Pinilla tried to slide the ball inside to Deividas Cesnauskis only for Russell Anderson, who had marshalled the long-haired mercurial Chilean, on loan from Sporting CP, for much of the afternoon at Pittodrie, to block the attempt. But it is enough for Pinilla to be given space to pick up the rebound and spread the ball wide to Sauliuas Mikoliunas.

He didn’t stop moving, following his pass laterally across the pitch and exchanging a one-two with the winger. Mikoliunas then injected a zip to the move, playing the ball first time to Cesnauskis – Lithuania’s version of Chip ‘n’ Dale – whose flick under pressure allowed his countryman to speed on to the ball and slide a low cross towards Roman Bednar.

The Czech striker produced a wonderfully deft backheel touch into the path of the oncoming Pinilla to pass the ball with finesse and meaning into the bottom corner, past Jamie Langfield.

It remains one of the finest team goals Hearts have produced.

And it is a goal which has certain supporters venturing down that ‘what if’ route.

The 45-time Chilean international could have been a Tynecastle great, only he was the right man at the wrong time.

Off-field struggles compounded his time at Hearts but it was a game and a goal which still has fans daydreaming about what could have been.

The Romanov embodiment?

Aberdeen had been on top for much of the first half as Marius Zaliukas struggled to get into the game as a centre midfielder. Craig Gordon had to be in inspired form. But after the break Hearts came alive, going ahead thanks to the shoulder of Christophe Berra.

Pinilla missed a glorious chance to net, while he created an opportunity for Paul Hartley through the middle with an inch-perfect through ball. It was similar to the goal he would later create for Mikoliunas who made it 3-0 with an emphatic finish before the Dons scored a late equaliser - a result which kept Hearts close to Celtic at the top of the table early in the 2006/07 season.

He wasn’t finished there, though.

Having already picked up a booking for a ‘shooshing’ gesture towards the camera in front of the Aberdeen support after netting the first, Pinilla then pushed the ball away when Aberdeen were trying to take a free kick which saw Stuart Dougal, despite the protestations from Hartley, show a second yellow card.

Mauricio Pinilla was promising, expensive, memorable but ultimately didn't achieve what he could or should have at Hearts. The embodiment of the Vladimir Romanov era on show at Pittodrie.