Mickael Madar's Everton career can surely go down as one of the most intriguing in the club's recent history.
The striker made the move to Goodison Park from Deportivo La Coruna in December 1997 as Howard Kendall bid to save the Blues from the threat of potential relegation from the Premier League.
And the Frenchman's time on Merseyside got off to a great start, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace.
However, just 11 months later, Madar's career at Everton was over - with new manager Walter Smith preferring to play a young Francis Jeffers over him.
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Kendall was clearly a big influence on the striker, however.
Speaking to Everton's official match programme, Madar opened up on his relationship with the great manager - and why he was the greatest he worked with.
"Howard Kendall, for me, was the best," the 50-year-old said.
"He talked to you like a man and wanted to have a proper relationship with you. He spoke with me like I was his son. I needed that feeling with my manager to give my maximum on the pitch.
"I was so sad when I heard Howard had died. He was a great personality. He was Everton, everyone loved him."
Their relationship even stretched to smoking together on the team bus.
Something like that is alien in the modern game, but Madar explained that events such as that were fairly common during his time in England.
The striker added: "I did not drink but in England, on the bus home from games, the players would take some beers and we would be playing cards.
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"I was with Howard and he said, 'You can smoke, it is okay, no problem'.
"So I smoked on the bus with Howard Kendall, with my manager. It was crazy.
"It was the English mentality 20 years ago; you could drink, or smoke, or go out, if you were good on the pitch.
"With Howard, it was like that. It was brilliant."
Madar experienced some big ups and downs during his short time in the Premier League, but his lowest moment arguably came at Anfield in 1998.
Duncan Ferguson had put Everton 1-0 up and his strike partner was given a great chance to double that advantage, but put it wide - with Liverpool eventually going on to score an equaliser.
And the Frenchman looks back on that moment with a lot of regret.
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"It is a bad dream for me. I has an incredible opportunity and I missed it," Madar remarked.
"For me, it was a very, very bad moment.
"It was easy...because nobody was in the goal, but I shot wide. I thought the goalkeeper was in his goal, but he wasn't.
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"The fans liked me, I think. But if I scored and we won the derby, they would have liked me more, I am sure."
The striker has branched out since quitting football in 2002, and now works as a prominent football pundit on French TV channel Canal+ alongside another interesting venture.
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"I am like Gary Neville or Jamie Carragher," Madar quipped.
"I have a women's clothes shop, I have had it five years. Honestly, I prefer to work in football!"
