Thursday 6 July 2017 15:26, UK
Florian Lejeune thought he was being pranked when Rafa Benitez phoned to offer him the chance of a move to Newcastle.
The centre-back completed a move to St James' Park on Tuesday, joining from La Liga side Eibar for a fee of around £8.7m.
Lejeune has experience of being signed by a Premier League club, having joined Manchester City in the summer of 2015, but he was loaned out to Girona straight away and then joined Eibar last summer.
"Getting a call from Rafael Benitez was absolutely amazing, and I could only say yes. It was like a dream," Lejeune said.
"When I got the call, I thought it was a prank so I didn't say anything. After a few hours, I said, 'Yes, that's Rafael Benitez', so I had to say yes.
"He was very important to my decision. For many years, my career was going up and down and up and down.
"He's a great coach. Everyone knows him and he has won lots of trophies - that is Rafa Benitez. Newcastle is a very big club with a fantastic history.
"As soon as Rafa phoned me, we had a good discussion and there was no question about whether to come or not.
"It's always been a dream. I have played in Spain and France, and everyone was telling me that the English league was very important and very intense.
"I really wanted to come and play here, and hopefully I will be able to prove that I am worth it."
