Who at the time was studying a degree in architecture but within a decade or so of his career change had established himself as one of the brightest young coaches in the game and was working with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Luciano Vulcano's rise has been rapid and quite remarkable.
"I have done many things that I didn't expect in my career," says the modest Italian, who was appointed as Sunderland's new assistant head coach earlier this summer.
"It's been really fast going to the next level. It was not the stairs, it was the elevator.
"I started 12, 13 years ago. I was studying architecture, but one day I flipped and I decided that I wanted to be a head coach one day.
"So, I turned to a sports science degree. After that, I did all the UEFA licencing in Italy. I was a bit good at doing my job and lucky, because you need to be lucky in football for sure. I met the right person."
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He's referring to Stefano Pioli. Vulcano started out as a scout and match analyst at Inter Milan where, after stints working for Roberto Mancini and Frank de Boer, Pioli arrived.
The former defender was immediately impressed and struck by Vulcano and took him to Fiorentina and then, last summer, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Piolo returned to Italy and Fiorentina and wanted Vulcano alongside him once more, but the 37-year-old fancied a new challenge. He fancied the Premier League. And while Vulcano fancies becoming a head coach himself in the future, he turned down two top jobs this summer to join Regis Le Bris at Sunderland.
It's here that Vulcano reveals he actually first learnt of Sunderland's interest 12 months ago.
"We were in touch last season, before the Championship season, but the timing wasn't the best, because I was moving to Saudi Arabia," he says.
"We didn't match last season, and when there was the possibility this summer, I had two, three possibilities to join clubs as an assistant coach, two as a head coach. But when I felt the trust Régis, all the leadership group, the sporting director, the football ownership, they had in me, it was easy for me to choose Sunderland.
"I felt that was the right choice, and they were pushing a lot to have me here.
"With Régis there was just a common link in football, I can say. He was looking for someone talented by his side. I don't know if I'm talented enough but I hope so.
"I came here just in order to help him, the team, the club, to achieve the highest standards as I can.
"I'm young, but with a bit of experience in football. So, I'm trying every day to learn and try to help."
He's fully invested. Vulcano's partner and young son moved with him to the UK. His English is excellent but he's still getting weekly lessons from a local tutor. His little boy is only three but has been brought up learning English and Italian.
His commitment to the job means most of his time is spent at the training ground, but he plans to try out the local restaurants and can text Fabio Borini, who he knows from their time together at AC Milan, for recommendations.
Vulcano jokes with Sunderland players about his own playing career.
"I tell them I have football in my mind, but not in my feet."
He laughs but his swift trajectory means his mind must be one of the brightest in football.
So what makes him such a highly-rated coach?
"You'll have to ask this to the players," he says.
"It's always difficult to speak about yourself. I think I'm adaptable. I'm demanding with myself, first of all.
"In this, I have a good connection with Regis. He's really demanding with himself. And with the people that surround him, really detailed.
"It's a pleasure to work by his side. First of all, I love to challenge myself in my job. In this chapter of my life, I want to help and I want to grow."
On the subject of working with individuals who demand a lot from themselves...Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I met a player, a person, first of all who really represents what the word consistency means," says Vulcano.
"He's really consistent in whatever he does.
"He's really focused on recovery, because it's the main part of his job right now, because he's 40. And he knows that to perform at the highest level, he has to recover.
"So he spends his whole day, also during the night, recovering; having an ice bath or stuff like this, because he knows how much it's important to recover in this moment of his life.
"Before it was about other things, now it's about this. But it's really consistency. I learn consistency from him."
Saudi Arabia was a "different environment" for Vulcano.
England?
"There's for sure a different culture, different style of play, different management in many details," says Vulcano, whose first memory of the Premier League is "falling in love with Fernando Torres when he was at Liverpool.
"But I'm comfortable with it. I came here because I want to put myself out of the comfort zone.
"I followed the Premier League for many years, because I really liked the type of football, the intensity.
"It was, for me, a goal in my career to come here and work in this league. Being part of this family, the Sunderland family, is really an honour."
And while his current focus is purely on his new role at Sunderland, down the line he does fancy a crack at a head coach job in himself.
"Maybe at Sunderland, who knows," he says.
"It's on my agenda for the future.
"I had so many dreams on my agenda when I was younger. And I think I've already gone beyond my expectations.
"So why not? I'll dream big."