Carlos Queiroz was bricking it over his recommendation of Nani to Manchester United.
Aurelio Pereira took a call from Queiroz upon he and chief executive David Gill touching down in Lisbon.
"Carlos was in a hotel in Lisbon," recalls Pereira to the Daily Mail, the 64-year-old is head of Sporting's scouting network who is revered in Portugal for unearthing stars like Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Futre and Ricardo Quaresma but rarely speaks publicly about his proteges.
"He wanted to know about Nani's mentality and if he could handle the pressure of playing for United.
"He didn't want to know if he had good feet. He knew all about that. He wanted to know about his personality, how he could cope with a different country and a different team.
"'It was a big responsibility for Carlos because it was a 25m euro deal and he wanted to be absolutely sure. I calmed him and said that, yes, he was buying a complete player."