He might not have shone like a diamond, but Jermaine Hue was clearly one of Jamaica’s star player of the match despite his team going down 0-1 to Mexico in their CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Play-off at the National Stadium on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old, the darling of local fans, has been in and more often out of the national team since making his debut in 2000, capping 41 times in 13 years with 12 goals.

The Harbour View midfield maestro has long been seen as the man to solve Jamaica’s lack of creativity, and although his performance wasn’t a masterclass, he was the lone soldier leading the team’s charge in attack, and according to a player rating by bleacherreport.com, Hue got C+, bettered only by goalkeeper Donovan Rickets’ B+.

Jamaica were toothless in attack, and on the few occasions that the home side threatened, Hue was the man pulling the strings from midfield.

Sadly, he was forced to go too deep in midfield to fetch balls from the defenders, which stymied his effectiveness higher up the pitch.

There can be no argument of the talent of this playmaker despite his age, and he showed that he belongs in this team, not for his defensive prowess, but for his vision and imagination at the attacking end. He was the go-to man and he was constantly looking for the players to run into spaces for him to deliver that well-weighted pass that he is known for.

Hue, who had a short stint with US club Kansas City Wizard in 2005, should have gained enough confidence and should again be the main man pulling the strings in the middle when the Reggae Boyz face the United States of America tomorrow night.