As a 5ft 6in, "skinny" teenager, Aaron Wainwright dreamed of playing for Arsenal and was even coached by Gunners midfield legend Patrick Vieira.
Now standing 6ft 2in and tipping the scales at approaching 17st, the 21-year-old Wales back-rower is hoping to help deal an early blow to Vieira's rugby-playing French compatriots' hopes in the Six Nations.
Wales face France in the opening match of the 2019 Six Nations in Paris on 1 February, and Wainwright has been named in Warren Gatland's 39-man squad.
The Dragons back-row forward is not the first Welsh rugby player to have harboured ambitions of a football career.
Legendary Wales half-backs Gareth Edwards and Barry John were rising stars in both sports before they chose the oval ball.
Fly-half Phil Bennett was in the same West Ham United under-15s squad as England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst before going on to captain Wales and the British and Irish Lions.
And of more recent vintage, Wainwright's fellow Bassaleg School product Ryan Jones switched from football - as a junior goalkeeper at Bristol City - to forge a rugby career that included leading Wales to the 2008 Grand Slam and becoming a Lions back-row.
After being coached by Frenchman Vieira, who was taking his football coaching qualifications with the Football Association of Wales, Wainwright's round-ball hopes faded.
Justin Thomas won nine Wales caps between 1995-1997
Not long after, he instead fell under the oval-ball guidance of, among others, ex-Wales full-back Justin Thomas, his former rugby teacher at Bassaleg School in Newport.
He fondly recalls training with Wales Under-16s, even if his hopes of a football cap at that stage were to be dashed.
"We had two or three days up at the University of Glamorgan playing fields with Wales Under-16s," he said.
"I was in the squad, but I didn't play a cap game for them, but some of the retired pros were doing their coaching badges so we had players like David Ginola and Patrick Vieira taking coaching sessions.
"Being a centre midfielder back then he [Vieira] took one of the sessions I was in and I was starstruck watching him giving me tips and tactics.
"It was definitely one of the best footballing memories I have."
Having been on Cardiff City's books from under-9s to under-16, then having a junior stint at Newport County, Wainwright joined friends at Whiteheads RFC youth team and played at school for a team coached by nine-times capped Thomas.
From there, his career progressed via student rugby at Cardiff Met before joining Dragons and making his debut in the Pro14 in a 43-29 defeat at Cardiff Blues in October, 2017.
Fast forward to January, 2019 and Wainwright's rapid rugby progress has been marked by a Wales debut as they beat Argentina on tour in June, 2018 before winning two more against South Africa and Tonga in November.
With fellow Dragons back-row Ross Moriarty's concussion making him a doubt among other Wales injury problems in that area, Wainwright is one of five currently-fit options coach Warren Gatland is mulling over.
A good performance when Dragons host French Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne in the European Challenge Cup on Friday, 18 January would help Wainwright's cause as the Six Nations approaches and in a year that includes the World Cup in Japan.
"I'm happy to be selected for Wales, but I'm focusing on Friday first before the challenge of the Six Nations. I'm going to give everything but then I'll be trying to stay fit.
"It's another step again, probably the biggest campaign I've been involved in so I'm looking forward to that, it'll be a new challenge.
"If I get a chance to play hopefully I'll show what I can do.
"I think if I can show I can make a difference I've got a chance of putting my hand up, but I've got to keep training well and show what I can do."
In between Wales' date with France in Paris and meeting Italy in Rome on Saturday, 9 February, Wales will have a training camp in Nice.
If luck plays its cards right, Wainwright might even bump into Vieria again - he is now manager of Nice in French League 1.