Former Ardrossan Winton Rovers goalkeeper Stevie O'Neill still winces at the thought of eight-year-old Billy Gilmour smashing goals past him for fun.
Now he knows he was among the first to see the Scotland starlet's huge promise.
Gilmour capped his meteoric rise from Ardrossan schoolkid to man of the match at Wembley last night as Scotland gained a vital Euros point against England.
And O'Neill recalls how he first caught a glimpse of the Chelsea ace's burgeoning talent while playing alongside his father, Billy senior, at Winton Park in the mid-to-late 2000s.
"Young Billy would come to the games and he'd get involved in the warm up with me," said O'Neill, now goalkeeping coach at Ardrossan.
"He must've been about eight years old but he was unreal at striking the ball. He'd hit shots at me from the edge of the box and he'd be popping them in the top corner. He would just demoralise me before the game!
"I'd turn to his father and say, 'Do you need to keep bringing him?!"
"Honestly though, even at that age you could see what talent he had.
"It's amazing to think that all these years later, the wee boy who was at Winton Park was running out at Wembley but he's worked so hard for everything."
As a friend of the family, O'Neill is still in contact with young Billy to this day and insists the midfield maestro remains as grounded as ever despite his fame and fortune.
He added: "You couldn't meet a nicer family.
"Billy has a Champions League medal, but his dad still jokes that he is the best player in the house. He'll say, 'You didn't even play in the Champions League final.'
"I've even said to his dad, 'Show him your North Ayrshire Cup medal!"
"Everyone's really down to earth and young Billy is exactly the same."
Gilmour remains a regular visitor to the family home in Ardrossan and has been known to top up his training regime with private sessions at Winton Park.
A trip home last year paved the way for Gilmour to give O'Neill's seven-year-old son Bradley the surprise of a lifetime.
O'Neill explained: "Bradley absolutely idolises Billy.
"Last year, we bought him a Chelsea top with 47 and Gilmour on the back. But he barely had it and Billy's squad number changed.
"Billy was down at Winton Park around that time and we had a laugh and joke about it.
"His dad said to bring the top down to the house to get it signed.
"It went out my head to be honest, then in the week of the Champions League final I sent the family a message wishing Billy the best of luck.
"His dad got back me saying to bring the top up. They took it to Porto with them for the final and Billy signed it after the game and sent me a picture.
"It's unbelievable he took the time out on Champions League night to do that but shows the kind of young man he is.
"Bradley's met him three or four times now and Billy is just brilliant with him."
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