When Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, a former goalkeeper, was appointed Sevilla's sporting director in 2000, the club had just been relegated into the Spanish second division for the second time in three years. His task, he remembers, was to develop the youth academy and implement a new scouting network outside of Spain.
Twenty-one years later, the man better known as Monchi is one of the best in his field and Sevilla, who returned to the top flight at the first time of asking in 2001, can be considered genuine contenders in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive title races in Europe this season.