"In the early 1990s, at my restaurant in Búzios, a seaside town just a stone’s throw from Rio de Janeiro (and a favorite vacation spot of Brigitte Bardot, for whom a statue has been erected). I met Jairzinho (1970 World Cup champion and former Olympique de Marseille player during the 1974–1975 season). I told him that I used to be a Club Med G.O. and that I’d become friends with some of the Paris Saint-Germain players. At the end of my summer season, Jairzinho saw me again before I left for Paris and gave me a VHS tape that I never even watched.”

“At the time, I knew almost nothing about football. It could have been naked women on the tape… I ran into Luis Fernandez at Clairefontaine when he was coaching AS Cannes. I still remember him calling over Mickaël Madar and Ferhat Khirat. The three of them watched the footage, and Luis said to me, “I’m interested in the two 18-year-old pros. And the 15-year-old, too. I’ll get back to you.” Luis talked to his president, who turned him down because there was no money. He asked me how much it would cost. I said 150,000 bucks each for the two older ones. And for the 15-year-old, 50,000 for 50% of his rights, because his club (Sao Cristovao) thought he was going to become a great player. The players in question were Djalminha, Marcelinho Carioca, and… Ronaldo. Il Fenomeno.”

“Paris Saint-Germain missed out on another Brazilian star. In 1995, Luis Fernandez (then the club’s coach) told me he needed a left back. I found Roberto Carlos at Palmeiras, whom I’d spotted in the regional league a little earlier. I negotiated the deal with the club, and we agreed on a fee of 3 million euros. Then, on the sidelines of a barbecue, we met with Roberto Carlos to reach an agreement with his agent. He showed up wearing a pair of 1970s jeans that were way too tight around the thighs. I’d never seen anything like it in my life! (Laughs.) We talked it over and came to an agreement.”