He is the name on everyone's lips this morning and the one all Real Madrid fans are cursing, yet Robert Lewandowski could have been pulling on the shirts of Blackburn or West Bromwich Albion.
Tony Mowbray repeatedly tried to sign the striker when playing in his native Poland, while the Icelandic ash cloud in 2008 put paid to him traveling to sign for Blackburn.
Mowbray was trawling Europe for a goalscorer while West Bromwich manager in November 2008 when he was alerted to a raw young striker making an impression at Lech Poznan.
Although his father was a Polish judo champion and mother a volleyball player, Warsaw-born Lewandowski was a scrawny, 20 year old.
He had just joined Poznan in the summer from unfashionable Znics Pruszkow for a princely sum of 1.5million zlotys, around £310,000 and was scoring goals. Yet many scouts believed he was still too lightweight to cut it in the hustle and bustle of the English leagues.
Mowbray, however, was willing to take a chance. He saw Lewandowski impress for Poland U21s and proposed a loan, which was rejected, then a loan with a view to a £600,000 deal.
Poznan demanded more cash but then the young Lewandowski said he needed another season in Poland to develop.
Mowbray didn't give up and tried again when he became Celtic manager. This time he wasn't alone. Premier League and Serie A clubs were on Lewandowski's trail and the price had gone up to £4m.
It proved too rich for Celtic and Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce made his move. He invited Lewandowski to watch Blackburn's game with Everton and the deal was set. This time though, Mother Nature intervened or, to be exact, Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
The ash cloud meant Lewandowski's flight was cancelled. 'He got the invitation [from Blackburn], but due to the cancellation of the flights he could not go, and it makes no sense to drive,' said agent Cezary Kucharski.
As a move to Britain stalled on the runway, Dortmund stepped in and Lewandowski's flightpath to success was set, much to Mowbray's chagrin.
