Middlesbrough coach Aitor Karanka has revealed he failed in his first attempt to lure Victor Valdes to the Riverside Stadium when the goalkeeper was a Manchester United player.
However, Karanka said he is thrilled that the former Barcelona No. 1 agreed to join newly promoted Boro in the summer.
Valdes, 34, signed a two-year contract in July after his deal with United expired and Karanka told AS: "I was insistent. When he was at United and things were going bad for him, I called him.
"I wanted him with me. I said to him: 'Let me explain [the reason for the call] before you send me to [hell].' I was able to finally convince him once we got to the Premier League."
Valdes, a World Cup and European Championship winner with Spain, left Barcelona in 2014 after making 535 appearances for the club and signed for Manchester United in January 2015.
However, Louis van Gaal later exiled him from first-team duty that summer and he joined Standard Liege on loan a year later.
Valdes only stayed with the Belgian club until April as they wanted to give their young players more playing time, and he was left to see out the rest of his United contract.
Karanka, who worked as Jose Mourinho's assistant at Real Madrid, said he had been in contact with Valdes before the player left Barca.
Valdes tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in March 2014, shortly after announcing his decision to leave Barca once his contract expired that season.
The keeper missed the 2014 World Cup and, despite being offered a new deal by Barca, he left and signed an 18-month contract with United.
"When he injured his knee, he reminded me of what happened to me as a player, so I got in contact with him," said Karanka, who suffered a similar injury during his second stint as a player with Athletic Bilbao. "I didn't know how he would take it but I went ahead anyway. He replied immediately. I know there are difficult times and we started talking."
The keeper, who was sidelined for nine months because of the injury, has started nine Premier League games for Boro, who are 15th in the table, with 11 points from 11 league games.
Karanka said Valdes's experience and personality make him a good fit for Boro, even if he is having to adapt to playing for a different type of team.
He said: "In a changing room you need that type of character. He has had to learn that we are not Barcelona, that [Sergio] Busquets is not there, that dead-ball situations are different, but he is improving a lot and he did very well against Arsenal."
Valdes impressed as Boro held Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium on Oct. 22, including a good save from an Alexis Sanchez free kick.