In hindsight, a decision made on 18 October 2018 was one of those sliding door moments for Aston Villa.
After holding talks with then-Benfica coach and former Sheffield Wednesday assistant Bruno Lage, the Midland giants handed the reins instead to a boyhood Villa fanatic who had grown up on the Holte End (Telegraph).
Two-and-a-half years on, it’s hard to imagine any Aston Villa supporter feels the wrong call was made on that fateful autumn afternoon.
After all, Smith not only led the 1982 European champions back to the Premier League but established them there too, with the cushiest of mid-table finishes on the cards this season.
Lage, meanwhile, has been out of work for the past nine months, sacked by Benfica following two wins in 13 games – the joint-worst run of results in the club’s history.
But, according to reports coming out of Portugal this week, Lage could still get his chance in England after all.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Villa’s Midland neighbours, have apparently identified the 44-year-old as a potential replacement for Tottenham-linked Nuno Espirito Santo (JN).
And while Lage would arrive under plenty of scrutiny and with big boots to fill, it would be unfair to judge him solely on that miserable two-month spell in mid-2020.
Before things fell apart at the Estadio da Luz, his Benfica side had looked all-but unstoppable, storming to the 2019 Primeira Liga title in style. Lage won 51 of his 76 games at the helm.
There was also a historic 10-0 thumping of Nacional, while the former winger played a key role in the transformation of Joao Felix from little-known youngster to £113 million superstar.
Aston Villa may have chosen Smith instead but, if Wolves do pick up the phone, Lage deserves the benefit of the doubt.
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