WITH a yellow rose in his hand and a smile on his handsome face, he led his side out on to the football field, named after the famous Texas fort where Davy Crockett made his heroic stand some 140 years ago.
Walking alongside him, slightly shorter but no less in stature, was another great name in the history of the game, Edson Arantes di Nascimento, otherwise known as Pele.
Tucked in about five places behind I followed, carrying a similar yellow rose, looking ahead in awe and wondering if my head was still on the pillow or if it was all real.
A prick from the rose quickly dispelled any doubts.
The setting was the Alamo Stadium in San Antonio and the local side, the Thunder, whom I had joined only three weeks previously from Seiko in Hongkong, were host to the New York Cosmos in a special exhibition game prior to the opening of the season.
The year was 1976 and the man alongside Pele was Bobby Moore, one of the true gentlemen of the game and who tragically died of liver cancer five days ago.
My stay in San Antonio was brief, but during that three-month period before returning to Hongkong I had the privilege of knowing one of England's best remembered sons.