Louis Ngwat-Mahop lived the dream after securing a trial with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 2006, with an eventful spell at the Allianz Arena seeing him go clubbing with Mats Hummels before being banished from Germany for working on a fake passport.
The Cameroonian forward took in just one competitive appearance for the Bundesliga heavyweights, against Energie Cottbus in May 2007, and saw his contract terminated shortly after that outing as he became caught up in a residence storm.
He does, however, have many happy memories to look back on and some remarkable stories to tell of rubbing shoulders with future World Cup winners and being let down by those he trusted to keep him within a star-studded squad.
Partying with Hummels
One of Ngwat-Mahop’s favourite tales relates to hitting the town with former Bayern defender Hummels for a spontaneous night out.
He told GOAL and SPOX of that evening: “Once Mats Hummels came to me with two other players and said: 'Come on Louis, today we're going to the discotheque together! You have to come with me!'
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“Then we actually went to the disco. We danced a lot. Mats was a great dancer. It was a fun night.”
GettyNickname in Bayern ranks
Ngwat-Mahop was able to endear himself quickly to the rest of the Bayern squad, while the club’s now sporting director bestowed a nickname upon him that suited his status at a fashionable organisation.
He added on settling in to life at one of the biggest clubs on the planet: “I went there without fear and was well received.
“Hasan Salihamidzic was the first to come to me and asked for my name. I told him. Then he nicknamed me 'Louis Vuitton'.”
Fake passport scandal
Ngwat-Mahop was to see his spell in Germany cut short during the summer of 2007 when it emerged that his French passport had the same number as a woman residing in Paris.
He was subsequently pursued by police authorities and faced calls from rivals of the Bayern II side that he had been representing for all of their fixtures to be marked down as defeats and points awarded to unsuspecting opponents.
The matter got out of hand quickly, with a man now plying his trade in Austria for SCR Altach saying of an unfortunate incident: “When I arrived from Cameroon, I needed a residence permit to be able to play in Germany.
“Unfortunately, I trusted people who said they would take care of it for me. Without my knowledge, a French passport was then faked for me.
“I was incredibly sad because I knew that I wasn't allowed to stay at Bayern because of that, but I learned that I always have to know about everything that affects me.”