Everton new boy Sandro Ramirez was schooled alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
Now the Toffees’ £5.2million striker is hoping Wayne Rooney can mentor him at Goodison in the same way that Catalan legends Xabi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol did at the Nou Camp.
Sandro, who left his family home in Gran Canaria at the age of 14 to pursue his dream at Barca’s famed La Masia academy, has been snapped up by Ronald Koeman for a bargain price after firing 14 goals in 30 La Liga appearances for Malaga last season.
But he did most of his growing up in Barcelona.
“I have been very lucky so far in my career,” said the 22-year-old. “First I played alongside Messi and now it is Wayne Rooney. They are two of the biggest names in football history.
“From the first day here, Wayne was really kind to me. He has showed a real desire to help me and I think it is great to see that.
“For me, as a player, it is an opportunity to learn from one of the top players. It was the same at Barcelona, where I think I learnt a lot.
“La Masia instils values for life as a person as much as for football.
“I learnt so many things from the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol – players with so much stature and experience of top-level football.
“You are learning from these guys every minute you’re with them.”
Sandro has not been afraid to take big decisions to advance his career. And after a summer spent helping Spain win the European Under-21 Championship – they beat England on penalties in the final – he came to the Premier League.
“You could say I lost my childhood,” he says about the decision to leave the family home to move to Barcelona so young.
“I was 14 and both Barca and Real Madrid showed interest in me. But I had been a fan of Barca. I had heard so much about La Masia and its reputation for bringing on players – and that was a big influence on me.
“It was a really tough decision because at that age you leave your mates and your family behind, but it was something I wanted to do from an early age.”
Sandro made just 17 appearances for Barcelona, so when the chance to move to Malaga came last year he took it – signing a contract which included a cut-price release clause that Everton have triggered.
He said: “I did have the chance to line up against some top players at Barcelona, but as a kid you want to be playing games.
“You don’t have that chance regularly at Barcelona so Malaga came along and that was important in my development. But when a big club like Everton – a club with so much history – come knocking at the door it was another move in the right direction.
“There was interest from a few clubs, but as soon as I heard of Everton’s interest I didn’t have to give it much thought.”