Paris Saint-Germain's chief scout has revealed the freak weather event that led him to discover a young Odsonne Edouard.
Pierre Reynaud has told how was forced to abandon plans to take in a youth fixture that was subsequently cancelled due to a snowstorm.
Instead, he travelled to watch AF Bobigny, for whom Edouard happened to be playing.
Speaking to The Athletic, Reynaud details how he was immediately struck by the youngster's potential, keeping track of his progress from there on.
Two years later, Edouard was invited to play for PSG, starting him on the path that would eventually find its way to the Scottish Premiership via a £9million transfer to Celtic
“I saw there was another game on a neighbouring pitch," Reynaud said, after cancelling his original scouting mission.
“It was AF Bobigny, and there was a younger boy playing for them who I noticed straight away.
"I asked the coach about him, and he replied that his name was Odsonne Edouard. I thought, ‘OK, I think we’ll follow him.'"
After inviting Edouard into the club's academy, Reynaud insists he made an immediate impression.
"Very quickly he seduced everybody at the club.
"We proposed to him a long-term project, pretty much up to the age of 18, and that’s what we outlined to him.
“He was already very different to players of his age.
“He was excellent in front of goal.
"He didn’t tend to blast it; he placed it, side-footed it, and his reading of the game was excellent. He always looked to see where the goalkeeper was before shooting, his quality of finishing was rare for someone of that age and he was very two-footed.
“He adapted very quickly, he had a great relationship with his teammates. As he grew in confidence, he felt at ease but always retained humility.”
