JOSH RAE was stunned when goalkeeping idol Thibaut Courtois sat down to join him for lunch.
And he was left speechless when Diego Simeone approached him for a chat.
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Now the Raith Rovers keeper wonders what might have been had he accepted the invitation to return to Atletico Madrid.
Aged 12 and on the books of Hamilton, Rae was invited over to Spain for a two-week trial at Atletico, who were keen for him to make repeat visits.
Ultimately, he opted not to move abroad, instead choosing boyhood heroes Celtic from a queue of admirers.
Last week, he signed for Rovers in a transfer from St Johnstone, but he knows his career could have turned out very differently.
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Rae, now 24, said: “I went to Madrid for 16 days, came home and was meant to go back over.
“Hamilton were great with me. They were pushing me to go out and train with these teams because it’s good for them as well.
“It was all an experience and one I look back on now and think it was amazing.
“Courtois came in when I was having my lunch. He sat and had lunch with me and complimented me!
“I’m just sat there staring up at him and thinking, ‘Is this actually who it is?’.
“He didn’t have to come in and speak to me because I’m just a 12-year-old boy who’s over for training.
“But he spent 15, 20 minutes sitting speaking to me and that was brilliant.
“Diego Simeone came in ten minutes after him and spoke to me, too.
“My dad was there. We were both sat there with our mouths open, wondering if this was all really happening.
“I went down to Liverpool and Everton, too. Those were great opportunities and experiences, but when the Celtic one came up, that was it kind of done. My heart probably took me to Celtic.
“Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but you can’t do anything about the past.
“Everything happens for a reason and I feel I’ve done quite well for what I’ve been through and where I’ve been.”
Rae was a loan star for Championship side Rovers in the second half of last season following a tough time in the top-flight with Saints.
That made the permanent switch from Perth an easy call for the ex Airdrie man.
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It was all very different a dozen years ago when Rae was courted by a Euro giant after being spotted by an Atletico scout in an under-14s tournament while on holiday. Already over six foot tall at 12, Rae scored twice in the final then saved three penalties in the shootout.
He said: “I was in Spain, just down at a local park, kicking the ball about with my dad.
“A woman from a team in Jordan asked me to play for them in a tournament.
“An Atletico Madrid scout went up to the coach and my dad afterwards and asked if I would go over and train.
“After that, they wanted me to keep going over every so often then, when I was 16, move permanently.
“Then the Celtic opportunity came up.”
Rae’s family are still in touch with those who triggered Atletico’s interest.
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He added: “My mum still keeps in contact with the scout and his wife.
“They message all the time and watch my games and whenever they visit Scotland, they come and see us.”
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