Keith Gillespie thought he was going out for dinner.
Only his nearest and dearest had other ideas, throwing the ex-Newcastle United winger a surprise 50th birthday party earlier this year.
And a special guest jetted in all the way from Colombia to be there.
"The doors opened and the first person I saw was Tino Asprilla," Gillespie said. "He was standing there waiting on me. It was quite surreal because he's somebody you don't expect to see in Bangor Golf Club.
"It was a lovely surprise. I was just made up that someone would actually make that effort to fly in for an evening."
It is now approaching three decades since the pair wreaked havoc for Newcastle against the mighty Barcelona.
But some friendships, clearly, stand the test of time.
"We clicked that night," Gillespie said.
Now, as Newcastle prepare to face the Catalan giants once again, Asprilla will be among those watching on at St James' Park on Thursday night.