When Pau Torres smashed his penalty past David de Gea in the Europa League final last May it could have been his last kick for Villarreal. There was interest from a host of Premier League clubs and a Tottenham offer on the table.
He stayed because he is the first top-class player to come out of the tiny town on Spain's east coast and no amount of money was going to deprive him of playing for them in the Champions League.
'It was a dream come true to play in this competition with my boyhood team,' he says ahead of Tuesday evening's visit from Manchester United.