It became clear it was never going to be a run of the mill title-winning party when a newspaper printed cut-out-and-wear Carlos Tevez masks ahead of Manchester United's clash with Arsenal.
'Support your hero.....or scare you friends' ran the double-edged headline on the morning of an extraordinary day at Old Trafford.
Naturally the afternoon turned into a celebration - what else could it have been on the day United matched Liverpool's record of 18 championships?
But it was a celebration tinged by the extraordinary row over Tevez's future.
From being just one of a number of items in Sir Alex Ferguson's in-tray this summer, the Argentine striker's position has suddenly threatened to overshadow United's march towards a second successive Premier League-Champions League double.
Ferguson's decision to substitute the player in the 66th minute was greeted with boos from all four corners of the ground.
Then - after club captain Gary Neville had lifted the Premier League trophy - the venerated manager's triumphal speech was drowned out by chants of 'sign him up'.
And the protests went one step further when a fans' demonstration outside the main entrance of the stadium - directed, apparently, at the club's directors - threatened to turn ugly two hours after United had retained their crown for a third successive season.
It's a remarkable situation and one that is unlikely to be resolved for at least another three weeks.
Ferguson isn't used to this. In the past, when he's decided it's time for a player to go, the player goes.
David Beckham had no choice in the matter, nor did Ruud van Nistelrooy or Jaap Stam. And the fans accepted those decisions, trusting the manager's judgment implicitly.
But this is different and Tevez has won a groundswell of public support for his committed performances during his two-year loan stay at the club.
However, that temporary arrangement is now drawing to a close and, according the terms of the original deal, United must now take up the option to pay £22m to sign the player on permanent terms or call time on the relationship.
And right now, it is clear that Ferguson has yet to be convinced he should commit a large part of his transfer budget on a player he damned with faint praise when he dubbed Tevez "a trier".
From day one this season the Argentine has been seen as the third choice striker behind Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.
Injuries and a congested fixture list means the South American has enjoyed more than his fair share of match action - but he has invariably been left out of United's biggest games.
And Ferguson retains significant doubts about Tevez's overall quality despite the striker's crucial goals against Wigan and Manchester City immediately before Saturday's title-clinching scoreless draw with Arsenal.
A key problem is that deal was struck before the term 'credit crunch' had become a part of everyday conversation.
And in the eyes of the manager - a man who has never lost sight of his working class Glaswegian roots - Tevez no longer represents value.
"The demands originally put to us were unrealistic," said the manager. "Like other clubs, we have to be aware of the consequences of the credit crunch.
"It's no time to be careless about money.
"As far as Tevez is concerned, everybody would be best served by a willingness to compromise."
Nothing about this arrangement is straight-forward it seems and if United are to complete a deal, it is an individual - not another football club - who must be persuaded to take a hit on the original deal.
"It is an unusual situation," explained David Gill, the United chief executive. "When we did our deal to acquire Carlos two years ago, his economic rights were owned by a company controlled by Kia Joorabchian. That's a feature of a lot of South American players.
"We have to deal with Kia Joorabchian - we paid a loan fee for two years, then there is a fixed fee we have to pay his company if we wish to take up our option to acquire Carlos, at which point we would own him 100% in football terms, and any other club would deal with us.
"Whatever happens to him in the summer, that situation will be clarified. If he goes to another club in the Premier League, then that club would own him outright."
Already there are a host of other club's circling, including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City.
And Tevez appears to be putting distance between himself and Ferguson with every fresh comment his makes about his future.
"I know I am not going to continue at Manchester United," said the striker this weekend.
"I feel that they have lacked respect towards me. It's not about whether they pay £5m more or £5m less, but I feel I have been badly treated."
Ferguson has frozen out players for making far less controversial comments but Gill suggests the player's position is not as entrenched as it would seem.
"If Carlos said that, I think it's borne out of frustration," he said. "If I speak to him at the dressing room or training ground he's always personable and friendly.
"He and his advisers have to understand these are big decisions to be taken with large amounts of money, and the timeline isn't as quick as some people would want it to be.
"Carlos has done very well. We'd like him to stay but the actual economic situation needs to be clarified. The actual situation will be cleared up in early June."
Whether Tevez will sign for United in June is another matter altogether.
A compromise seems likely, but Ferguson has never been held to ransom before and he is certainly not going to wilt now.
And to Tevez's credit, the player seems more concerned with joining a club where he is valued as something more than a trusty standby.
