For Emmanuel Latte Lath, the big moment came within three minutes of his Bundesliga debut for Union Berlin. At the age of 27, it was his first appearance in a major European league. "It was like an explosion, the emotion that I had inside." It was a simple header against Eintracht Frankfurt but for Latte Lath it was much more than that.
It was the culmination of a journey that began in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire before emigrating to Italy at eight years old. More recently, it was a career that had stalled. His transfer from Middlesbrough to Major League Soccer club Atlanta last year was worth £22.5m and all the pressure that this brings.
Asked about the big move by Sky Sports, Latte Lath says: "It was difficult because I came there with a lot of expectation." He explains: "It became really, really difficult. I really felt it on my skin, on my journey, on my career." Eleven goals in 48 games was no disgrace. But everyone, himself included, hoped for much more.
"I really wanted to show them why I arrived there. And it did not work." There were memories that made him smile. He got to play against Lionel Messi, for example.
"I was really like a kid when you see your hero. I could touch Messi," he says, laughing at the thought. But when Latte Lath talks more generally about regrets, it is tempting to think he regards his move as a misstep at a major moment.
"You have to remember why you started. People around you will really, really affect a lot your decisions and your career." When asked what advice he would give his younger self, Latte Lath replies: "Honestly, what I could say to him, I just could say maybe take more decisions for myself, not let people take decisions for me. This is the main thing I can say to the young Emmanuel." After starting out at Atalanta in Italy, he had a number of loans, most notably with Swiss club St Gallen where he scored 14 top-flight goals, but it was at Middlesbrough where he really flourished.
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