Calvin Bassey was a couple of months short of his 18th birthday when he first got the chance to sample Ibrox Stadium.
And the young Leicester City kid left his mark in more ways than one in that 6-1 rout against the Rangers development squad.
Former Ibrox striker Ryan Hardie felt the full force of his physicality after, according to the match report he was “barged off his feet and the ball”, inside the box by Bassey.
Hardie then slotted away the resulting spot kick but it was scant consolation in a 6-1 thumping by the Foxes youngsters.
However, it was Bassey’s ability to recover that left Hardie in awe as he stood in the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to watch his old club last week.
Bassey recovered from a slip to make a last-ditch recovery tackle to deny Eintracht Frankfurt’s Rafael Borre.
Hardie was amazed at the 22-year-old’s desire as he kept going to the bitter end despite the stifling Seville heat.
Also in the stadium that night was another player who featured in that bounce game five years ago and upstaged his good friend and team-mate.
Conor Tee netted a hat-trick in that Ibrox romp that Graeme Murty described at the time as a very harsh lesson for his youngsters.
And he beamed with pride after travelling to Seville join the tens of thousands of Rangers fans to watch his old roommate on one of the biggest stages of all.
Tee recalled that game in September 2017 but believes a return match a couple of years later was the one that really convinced the Ibrox side, by then managed by Steven Gerrard, to make a move.
Current captain James Tavernier, Greg Docherty and Greg Stewart were on target against the Foxes academy side with Jermain Defoe playing in a strong looking line-up.
But Bassey did enough to impress with ‘B’ team boss David McCallum an instant admirer and the wheels were set in motion for the eventual transfer a short time later.
Bassey was picked up for around £300,000 as they took advantage of the cross-border compensation rule and that is proving a bargain with every man of the match display with some claiming he’s now in the £25 million bracket.
Close pal Tee told Record Sport : “I remember the first game we played at Ibrox in 2017 and I scored a hat-trick.
“I was Under-18s at that time and it was special to score in such a historic stadium against a massive club.
“We returned to play in another game a couple of years later and we lost 3-0 but I feel like that was the game that got him the move despite the defeat.
“We were both in the Under-23s at that point but Rangers had a strong team with first team players like Jermain Defoe and he handled himself so well.
“I went to watch Calvin in Seville and I was buzzing for him because he’s my best mate.
“It was surreal watching him in Seville on that big stage. It was a proud feeling for us and his family watching.
“I returned to Glasgow and spent some time with him there. There’s no question he’s good enough for the English Premier League but it’s about getting the move that suits him.
“He’ll know what’s best for him and his career. There’s no rush, Rangers is a huge club and he’s just 22 and played in a European final.
“When I was in Seville a few people asked me how I got tickets and when I told them my mate was Calvin Bassey they said, ‘Oh my God!’.
“I told him the feelings the fans have for him but he’s not big headed. He’s just the same Calvin.
“He’s not shy to be fair, he’s a bubbly guy but such a great guy and down to earth and he deserves everything he achieves.
“I moved to South Shields a season after he moved to Rangers and he’s planning on coming to watch me as well but our games always clashed.
“I didn’t even get the chance to see him until the Europa League Final but I caught up with him a few times in Glasgow on non-matchdays.
“I joined Leicester City at Under-12s and he joined at Under-16 level and we became good friends.
“We lived with each other in digs when we both got a scholarship and we’ve been mates ever since.
“I can still remember his first training session and he was good but I would say he improved rapidly.
“He started playing much later than everyone else but he progressed really quickly. It’s a bit like at Rangers if you think back to when he first came in.
“When he left to join Rangers I was still at Leicester City and I was sad to see him go on a personal level but, professionally, I knew it was a positive step in his career and I knew it was something he had to do to get first team football and it’s paid off big style.
“I’m not surprised at all at his success. I always knew how good he was and having played with him at a young age it’s good to see how he’s progressed over the years.
“He had all the attributes to be a top player and he’s shown that. I always felt left back was his strongest position because he’s so good at attacking.
“But at the same time he’s solid defensively and from what I’ve seen of him at centre half this season as well he can do that as well but left back is where I think he’s most effective.”
Hardie felt the full force of Bassey back in 2018 and the 25-year-old, now at Plymouth, loved watching him in Seville.
He smiled: “It’s crazy to think I was on the end of that challenge five years ago and to see how far Calvin has come.
“I was actually over in Seville and he was unbelievable. The thing that stood out for me was when he tripped over and gave the ball away and then recovered with one of the best last-ditch tackles I’ve ever seen.
“He’s so physical but he does it for the duration of the game. In the Scottish Cup Final he was chasing the ball in 120th minute. It was crazy.”
