Julien Faubert admits he thought an approach from Real Madrid was 'bulls***' before he made the shock move from West Ham in January 2009.
The Frenchman made only two appearances and became infamous for apparently nodding off on the bench during a bizarre six-month loan spell at the Bernabeu.
But he insists he did not fall asleep during a clash against Villarreal as he opens up on his move to the biggest club in world football 11 years on.
'I received a call from this French guy at Real Madrid and he said to me, "Hi, I work for Real Madrid and we have to talk to you"', he told The Athletic.
'I told him I have an important game to prepare for and I don't have time for this bulls****. I switched off my phone, we played the game and after the match I switched on my phone and saw around 30 text messages and 50 voicemails.
'That's when I knew it was serious.
'I had many feelings but I was happy — it's Real Madrid, you know? When I realised it wasn't fake I was praying for the negotiations to go well.'
But the winger's temporary move to Madrid turned into a disaster. Club legend Alfredo di Stefano looked bemused when presenting Faubert at his press-conference.
He featured only twice and is best remembered for falling asleep on the bench - but he insists he was only closed his eyes for 30 seconds.
He revealed: 'They thought I was p****d off because I wasn't playing and they said, "OK, this guy is sleeping."
'The president said I need to be careful because there are photographers and cameras everywhere. I definitely learned a lot from that experience.'
Faubert returned to the Hammers for the 2009-10 season and stayed for another three seasons, even helping them back into the Premier League after their 2011 relegation.