Pep Guardiola was denied a chance to play in English football after being turned down by Wigan Athletic ahead of their debut season the Premier League.
This was long after his glory days as a player at Barcelona, where he won the European Cup and six La Liga titles during a glittering spell at the Camp Nou.
At this stage, the current Manchester City boss was approaching the twilight year of his career after being released by Qatari side Al-Ahli in 2005.
He was looking to play in England before retiring, but former Latics manager Paul Jewell ended those ambitions.
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This strange story then took another bizarre twist, as the Spaniard was then turned down by his current employers at the Etihad Stadium - then managed by ex-England defender Stuart Pearce.
He said in quotes published by the Daily Star: "He [Paul Jewell] tried to sign me when I was a football player, years ago. I wasn't good enough!"
"That is the truth. I was old, really old as a football player. I knocked on the door, I tried to come here to play in English football as a player but I was not able.
"The same happened here at Manchester City when I came here with Stuart Pearce. They were so clever! I was not good enough."
Guardiola eventually continued the swansong period of his career in Mexico when he signed for Dorados de Sinaloa in January 2006, where he made ten appearances and scored once ahead of his retirement at the end of that season.
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The 50-year-old's focus is now firmly with City, who face a resurgent Aston Villa side at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Guardiola's men currently sit second in the Premier League table with 29 points from 13 games - one adrift of league leaders Chelsea.
Topics: Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, Pep Guardiola, Premier League