Shoya Nakajima was one of the standout performers of the Portuguese league two seasons ago with his trickery and flair for Portimonense.
His efforts earned him recognition from across the continent, with several top clubs from around Europe linked with his signature.
In the end though, the Japanese international went on to join Qatari club Al Duhail, managed by Portuguese coach Rui Faria, for a fee of approximately 35 million euros.
A significant amount of money for any club, but for the modest Algarve outfit, it has proven to be an epic financial windfall, as explained by the majority shareholder of the club, Theodore Fonseca.
“We don’t have to sell any more players” he said in an interview with Goal. “The sale of [Shoya] Nakajima will sustain our club for at least 10 years.”
On potential player sales, he said “I don’t want to sell anyone, but I need to consider the will of the player.”
“I will not make anyone’s life difficult, but I won’t make it easy either.”