He could easily be describing the time Pep Guardiola first laid eyes on Lionel Messi, but Domenec Torrent is instead recalling the moment the Manchester City manager first realized the future was Phil Foden.
‘He was 16,’ says Torrent. ‘Seven or eight of the academy players came to train with the first team, all very good players, but I remember that Pep said to me the second day: “that skinny little kid, he’s the best of them. He’ll make it for sure”.
Torrent, who was ten years Guardiola’s assistant at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, tells this story to illustrate what he calls ‘Pep’s special intuition’ but also because he’s genuinely excited about England’s 20-year-old midfielder ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final.