Viktor Gyokeres was on his way to the team bus when he spotted a fan holding a sign asking for a statue to be built for him.
He could not help but smile.
"I love you all," the Sweden striker said as he left Lisbon town hall after Sporting's back-to-back Portuguese league title celebrations last May.
Almost a year on, he will be reunited with those same fans on Tuesday as Sporting host Arsenal in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final.
It is the first time Sporting have reached this stage of the competition in the Champions League era, but that is no accident - the club are enjoying their best spell in modern times, both on and off the pitch.
Over the past five seasons, they have been crowned Portuguese champions three times, have found peace after several years of internal turmoil and reached financial stability.
Published By: Ajayi Oluwaseun Michael.
Sporting have posted a profit in their annual accounts for a fourth consecutive season, making a combined 82.3m euros over that period.
It feels ironic that the player who had the biggest impact throughout that run will now return looking to bring this fairytale to an end
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