Jan Aage Fjortoft tells fascinating tale of Middlesbrough's 1995 Juninho transfer | OneFootball

The former Middlesbrough cult figure told a brilliant story of the day Juninho, Boro's greatest ever player, signed for the club in 1995.

Middlesbrough cult icon Jan Aage Fjortoft has told a brilliant tale of the day Boro signed their greatest ever player, Juninho, back in 1995.

Fjortoft, who would become a Boro hero during his relatively short time on Teesside between 1995-97, told the tale via his X account on Tuesday.

Bryan Robson signed Juninho for a fee of £4.75m in October 1995, as the club looked to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

At the time, Fjortoft had just played a leading role in helping secure the return of top-flight football on Teesside, but from the story he tells of the day "The Little Fella" signed for the club, it was clear that everyone knew a star had just arrived...

Fjortoft: "He looked at me and said: Juninho"

Joining Middlesbrough from then Premier League side Swindon Town in March 1995, Fjortoft would score a number of important goals that would help Boro win promotion to the top-flight in the 1994/95 season.

The Norwegian would go on to make 50 appearances and score 13 times for the club until his departure in January 1997, cementing his status as a cult figure on Teesside due to his iconic goal celebration, and the fantastic strike partnership he would form alongside Juninho.

That partnership was birthed in October 1995, as Boro captured the signature of one of the most sought after talents in world football from Sao Paulo, and Fjortoft has quite the tale to tell from the day "The Little Fella" arrived.

Posting via his X account on Tuesday 8 October, Fjortoft wrote: "A story about a castle, a Norwegian and a magician. I was living with my family at Wilton Castle….yes….a real castle….on my way home from training there were suddenly two bodyguards at the gate. They wouldn’t let me in!!!

"Why? - @Boro has just signed a player and he is signing now… Well, I am Boro player too. And I live here. - Nobody lives in this castle, he said - Well, I do… So I just drove…. When I entered the castle (did I say it was a castle?)….I asked the “servants” where this new player was….

"I went to a room with the biggest table you ever see. Bryan Robson and 4-5 Boro- staff was sitting at the end of the table…with the players’ family and agent.

"At the central seat I saw this small, tiny “kid” I went up to him, presented me. He looked at me and said: - Juninho.

"Some days later he made his debut against Leeds. One great pass from him, one great finish from me = goal against Leeds United. The best player I have ever played with!"

Juninho left a legacy as Middlesbrough's greatest ever player

A castle was a befitting venue to put pen to paper on his Middlesbrough contract, as over the next decade and in three separate stints with the club, Juninho would be crowned king of the Riverside Stadium.

Many a player has attempted to dethrone him of his title since his rule on Teesside, but all have had to be content with standing in his shadow.

Juninho's magic helped the club reach the final of both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1997, which Boro would end up losing both. But, it was clear that with him in their side, silverware was always going to be a possibility.

His performances during Middlesbrough's ill-fated 1996/97 season saw him win the Premier League Player of the Season award, and with Boro suffering relegation from the top-flight that season, Juninho still stands as the only player to win that honour in a relegated team.

The idea of a player winning that award in the modern day version of the Premier League is fairly unthinkable, and a striking testament as to just how good he really was.

Juninho would leave the club at the end of that season, but come 1999, he was back in the North East. It was only temporary, however, as he signed on a season-long loan deal from Atlético Madrid.

He would make his third and final return to Teesside in 2002, joining on a permanent deal from Atletico. During these two years, Juninho would help the club end their 128-year wait for silverware, as Middlesbrough triumphed over Bolton Wanderers in the 2003/04 Carling Cup final.

Juninho wouldn't embark on Boro's European adventure as a result of winning the League Cup, as he made the move north of the border to sign for Celtic.

His name may have faded slightly in the minds of Premier League football fans across the country as the new generation of stars light up England's top-flight, but for those who were lucky enough to witness Juninho in action, his brilliance could never be forgotten.