Peter Crouch has been recalling the moment he was told Liverpool wanted to sign him.
The former England striker joined the Reds from Southampton in 2005 and went on to become a popular player at Anfield.
And Londoner Crouch admits he could hardly believe it when he discovered Liverpool were in for him.
Speaking on Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, the 39-year-old said: “When Liverpool came in for me, I had had a great season at Southampton. We’d just got relegated, so I was gutted, but I’d had a great season personally.
“I was down about the whole thing, but I was at home and got a call from my agent out of the blue. Liverpool had just won the best European Cup final – 2005 in Istanbul – that anyone has ever seen, and I get this call.
“My agent says: ‘Are you sitting down?’ He then says, ‘Liverpool want you’, and I say ‘shut up!’. I thought ‘they’ve just won the Champions League; they’ll be going for the cream of the crop’.
“I’d played well but I’m watching that final on television and that seemed a million miles away. I get that call and the deal goes through and when I got to the club, I realised they’re no different to anyone else. I felt comfortable as soon as I went there, and I felt like I was good enough to be there.”
“Things went great at Liverpool and I’m so glad I did it. To play for a club that size, playing in those amazing Champions League nights, and we had such a good side when I look back it.
“Liverpool are flying at the moment and we had a great team as well. I had some of the best years of my life at that club and it was a real pleasure to play for them.”
Crouch, who was raised in west London, also has fond memories of his time at QPR, the team he supported as a boy.
And he admits he would love to return to Loftus Road – as manager.
“It was one of the best times of my life and I always wanted to go back and do that again,” he said.
“If I had to manage one, it would be good to go and manage QPR.”