So that is what all the fuss is about.
Gael Kakuta's debut for Chelsea against Wolves may have lasted little more than 30 minutes and came in a game that had already long since expired as a meaningful contest, but that was all it took for Stamford Bridge regulars to realise their club may have unearthed a very special talent.
Kakuta is, of course, already one of world football's most discussed youngsters and not because of his talent. His signing from French club Lens in 2007 has provoked the kind of political fall-out which must have been bewildering for a teenager attempting to find his feet in a foreign country.
Chelsea have a 12-month transfer ban hanging over them, courtesy of a Fifa disciplinary committee, but almost forgotten in the reperecussions was the four-month suspension and eye-watering £750,000 fine handed to Kakuta - a punitive penalty which seems ludicrously excessive given the sanctions routinely handed out by the world governing body for other offences.
Kakuta initially struggled with the implications of his ban, with his manager Carlo Ancelotti admitting that he had "difficulties for two or three weeks" in the aftermath. But Chelsea's determination to fight his corner through an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport - which ensured the suspension of his punishments - and decision to fast-track him into first team training sessions have returned some form of stability to his professional life.
He certainly did not look like a player weighed down by worries in his substitute's cameo against Wolves. His performance was a delight, full of clever flicks and delicate touches, although - and this was the most impressive aspect of all - not one touch of the ball was wasted.
His passes found their targets and his decision-making was ice-cold, a rare gift indeed for an 18-year-old. He might even have marked the occasion with a goal, only for two shots - one from long range, the other a tight angle - to find the side netting.
Goals will come, though. Ancelotti sees Kakuta's best position as the No10, playing off a more traditional centre forward which, at Chelsea at least, means Didier Drogba. The prospect of the quicksilver Kakuta scampering into the channels around Drogba's hulking presence is a thrilling one for Chelsea fans and, indeed, his fellow players.
"He shows every day in training that he is a fantastic player," said John Obi Mikel, the Blues midfielder. "He still has to learn a lot, but you could see from this game [against Wolves] what a fantastic player he is. In terms of skill, I think he is the best in the club.
"The sort of things he does in training comes naturally. He doesn't force it and when he has got the ball, he knows what to do."
Kakuta still needs to develop his physical strength, as Ancelotti pointed out in the aftermath at Stamford Bridge, and it might not be until next year that we see the best of the Lille-born striker.
Either way, it is now obvious why Chelsea believe Kakuta is worth fighting for.
