Arsenal £72m signing Nicolas Pepe almost lost career over a stolen chocolate bar

His father would later move his family 200 miles south to Poitiers when Pepe was 14, for a job.

And it was only then that the winger would hang up his gloves, although it would still take time for bigger clubs to really appreciate his talent.

Poitiers FC were a tiny club, in the French fifth tier at the time he joined, and although scouts would be along to watch the winger every weekend, none were willing to take a chance on him.

Then-sporting director Philippe Leclerc told Bleacher Report: "We had recruiters at Poitiers every weekend and they never approached him. Never.

"Because he was a bit willowy, with his long legs. You could see that he had good technique, but he didn't correspond to the criteria that the [professional] clubs were looking for."

Leclerc also believed his attitude at that time put some scouts off.

"He also had an attitude that was a bit casual," he added.

"People thought he was inconsistent or that he was lazy in certain situations. Everything seemed so simple with Nico.

"And that's why he slacked off every now and again."

But Leclerc managed to get Pepe a move, convincing a friend - head coach Staphane Moulin - at Angers to take the chance.

Academy chief Abdel Bouhazama has been arguably the man most crucial in Pepe's rise to the top.

The winger earlier this year admitted to France Football: "If I hadn't run into him, I might not be where I am today."

Bouhazama's first port of call was to tell the talented teen to get rid of an extravagant blond Mohawk - although it would later come back as an adult.

"He played football like he was playing with his mates, as if he was playing against the side of a building or at school," Bouhazama told Bleacher Report.

Pepe's time at the academy was not without drama - although his performances on the pitch were excellent, he could be disruptive off it.

There were complaints from teachers and late-night phone calls from the living quarters.

Bouhamaza was trying to instill more discipline into Pepe and his peers and one tactic was to wake the youngsters at 5am and take them for a run.

They would jog past binmen and other workers and the coach would remind them how lucky they were to have a chance at being footballers.

But there was one incident that really was a "wake-up" call for him.

Pepe and a group of team-mates had been walking around a supermarket and stole a bar of chocolate, eating it without paying.

They were caught by the security guard as they tried to leave.

"It was a wake-up call," Bouhazama said.

"I really think he got a fright. He wasn't far away from being excluded.

"His dream of becoming a professional footballer would have ended."

Pepe would make his first-team debut for Angers in 2014, aged 18, enjoy an impressive loan spell at Orleans in the third tier, before returning to Angers after they reached promotion to Ligue 1.

Lille were early admirers, finding Pepe by chance.

Sporting director Luis Campos had been at an Angers game to watch a Rennes player, but couldn't take his eyes off of the rangy winger.

"I quickly fell in love with him," the former Real Madrid scout told France Football.

Pepe latched onto a loose ball and curled in a brilliant late equaliser in the game.

Campos has since, rather dramatically, said: "The day he is in a big club, he will kill everything and explode."

Marcelo Bielsa, now Leeds manager, signed Pepe with one live viewing enough to convince the Argentine.

However, Bielsa tried to play Pepe up-front and the experiment failed - he was sacked in December 2017 with the Great Danes in the relegation zone.

Christophe Galtier took over and since then the rise for both Pepe and Lille has been meteoric.

He was moved back to the wing and saved the club from relegation almost on his own, scoring eight goals and adding five assists in the final 14 games of the 2017-18 season.

Last season he has been even better - Lille finished second behind PSG, with Pepe's 22 goals trailing only Kylian Mbappe (32) and his 11 assists behind only Teji Savanier (13).

The club's lightning-quick attacking trio of Pepe, Jonathan Ikone and Jonathan Bamba was nicknamed 'Bip Bip' by the French press and fans.

That's the sound the Road Runner from the Looney Toons makes when he's escaping Wile E. Coyote.

Galtier says only Neymar and Mbappe have more potential in Ligue 1 than Pepe.

"He amazes me, he amazes us," his manager said in February, "He’s certain to become a world class player because he knows how to do everything.

"He doesn’t need an intermediate step.

"After the great season he’s having with us, he can go straight to a Champions League club."

Arsenal may not be a Champions League club this season... but with Pepe, it may not be long until they return.