Sven Botman has already come through the ranks at Ajax, won a title with Lille, represented his country at underage level and played in the Champions League. Moving to Newcastle United, however, is a realisation of a dream: to play in the Premier League.
Was it any wonder that the Dutchman made sure his family, friends and representatives were all with him as he posed for photographs pitchside at St James' Park on Monday after signing a five-year deal? If Botman had his way, the centre-back would have completed his big-money move even sooner.
Although Lille refused to sell Botman in January, of course, it was telling that the 22-year-old's levels did not drop - nor did he throw his toys out of the pram after a heart to heart with manager Jocelyn Gourvennec, who was once on Newcastle's radar himself.
READ MORE: Newcastle's transfer plan after Sven Botman announcement as Hugo Ekitike takes huge gamble
It is rare for managers to speak so openly about individual players, but Gourvennec admitted Botman was so important to his side that it was even a 'big problem' when the towering defender missed the odd game through injury.
"When he was not here, it was not the same," Gourvennec told ChronicleLive. "You can be sure about Sven because he's constant and always focused on what he has to do. For a coach, it's easy to manage intelligent players like him. You say one thing and you know he will understand what you want.
"He was important in the dressing room because he's very calm. Sven did not speak a lot like Jose [Fonte] but when he's speaking in the dressing room, even if he's young, the other players are listening. He was always thinking about what more he could do for the team."
That is just the sort of character Eddie Howe wants to work with. Yes, Howe was keen on bringing in more quality players from the continent who could grow with the club, but the Newcastle boss was desperate not to disrupt the dressing room.
New signings do not have to be squeaky clean, but they must buy into the team-first mentality at Newcastle and Botman will do just that. Through speaking to various sources who have worked with Botman, it is clear that the Dutchman is not a selfish individual. On the contrary, Botman's mood depends on whether his team wins or loses rather than whether he plays well or not.
As well as possessing that winning mentality, Botman is desperate to get better. Christophe Revel was Lille's goalkeeping coach and said that although Botman is 'a beast physically', it is the defender's desire to improve that really stands out. Last season, for instance, Botman stayed behind after training with Revel to work on his heading in the opposition box after he failed to score any goals for Lille the previous season.
"He wants to know," Revel told ChronicleLive. "At the end of training, we worked together and I would cross 10-15 balls and he would just find the target with his head. Simple things, but he was the only one to do that at the beginning because he wanted to improve.
"Even if he's young, he's clever and can adapt quickly. You can tell him something about the striker of the other team, he will think about it and watch. He talked a lot with the video analyst before games."
It was that ability to lead by example that led to Botman stepping up as stand-in skipper at Heerenveen. It is not often a 20-year-old centre-back wears the armband - rarer still when they are on loan - but that reflects the impact Botman made during his brief spell at the club after joining from Ajax on a temporary basis in 2019.
That is not to say that Botman did not learn lessons along the way, of course. After Heerenveen suffered a 2-1 defeat against Fortuna Sittard, for example, Botman fronted up to the media as captain and went on to call out his team-mates for missing chances. Manager Johnny Jansen was among those who saw the footage.
"I talked with him after we came back from the match and I was saying, 'Sven, Don't say it on television. You have to say it in the dressing room,'" Jansen recalled to ChronicleLive.
"He was 20 years old then and it was not a problem because he had to learn from it. The next day, he stood in front of the group and said, 'Sorry, I have to say it in the dressing room. It will never happen again.' That's the personality I liked. He became a man."
As well as becoming a man, Botman quickly became a fans' favourite at Heerenveen. Indeed, in just his second game for the club, against Feyenoord, Botman single-handedly prevented a counter-attack with a sliding challenge when he was heavily outnumbered. The tackle was greeted with cheers so loud that it was as if Botman had scored.
Botman did not look back from that moment and started every league game before the season was curtailed because of the pandemic in March, 2020. By that stage, Lille had already done their homework and Ajax were willing sellers because of the options they already had at centre-back.
Heerenveen staff and players were realistic enough to know there was little chance of signing Botman permanently and they have instead taken great pride in seeing the 22-year-old progress elsewhere. Warner Hahn, who offers a unique perspective as one of the few goalkeepers to have played behind Botman, can't help but pay tribute to a' top lad' who has made 'unbelievable steps' in such a short space of time.
"Sven is a killer but he's also really good with his feet and his head, and calm on the ball," the former Heerenveen shot-stopper told ChronicleLive. "I think he has the total package. He's a big guy so you can't mess around with him in a good way, of course. He's very nice, very humble and could also grow into a leadership role
"He has all the right conditions to be able to be a top player. The mental side, the physical side, the footballing side, he has it all so it's more up to him how far he can go. I know him as a hard worker and humble guy. The sky's the limit."
READ NEXT
Newcastle United transfer news LIVE
Newcastle owners' stadium incentive as over 30,000 supporters queue for 1,000 season tickets
Sven Botman's 'disturbed' reaction ends AC Milan myth as Newcastle January truth finally told
Sven Botman makes brilliant 'showtime' declaration as he arrives for Newcastle United medical
Newcastle find £10m bargain Eddie Howe will love and what he texted pal
