Florian Lejeune assumed he was on the receiving end of a prank call when the voice down the line claimed to be Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez.
It was no joke, however. Benitez had long since identified the 26-year-old Frenchman as the man he wanted to lead his defence into the new Premier League season and made his play at the start of the summer.
‘Getting a call from Rafael Benitez was absolutely amazing, and I could only say yes,’ said Lejeune at his official unveiling on Tyneside following his £8.7million arrival from La Liga outfit Eibar.