At every World Cup a star always emerges and at Italia '90 it was Cameroon striker Roger Milla with his knack of finding the back of the net and his famous corner flag celebration. 

The 38-year-old super-sub hit four goals to help 'The Indomitable Lions' make history by becoming the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals (they were beaten 3-2 in extra-time by England).

Whoever emerges as a star at this year's World Cup they will no doubt be hoping for a better offer than Milla got. For his heroics for his country Milla received an offer from none other than Walsall - who had just been relegated to Division Four (now League Two).

The-then Saddlers boss Kenny Hibbitt speaking to BBC Sport recalls:

"We were the first club to make an enquiry and I thought he could bring a bit of joy back to the club.

"We had a Cameroon player, Charlie Ntamark, training with us that summer to get over an injury that meant he missed the World Cup. He acted as a go-between for us to speak to Milla.

"If you don't ask, you don't get. But Roger wanted $1 million to play for us and, unfortunately, we were broke. We ended up signing Charlie instead."

Before the tournament in Italy, he had been playing for an amateur side in the tiny Indian Ocean island of Reunion after his career had ended in France.

The fame from the World Cup in 1990 saw clubs from around the world trying to sign Milla and but he was still without a club nearly a year on from the tournament before eventually signing for Tonnerre Yaounde in his native Cameroon.

Twenty-four years later, Milla did make it to Walsall but only to visit the University of Wolverhampton's campus in the town to thanks them for their assistance with his humanitarian foundation, which helps underprivileged children in Cameroon.

He is now 62-years-old but the former striker can still can do the famous goal celebration.

Milla holds the record of the oldest goalscorer at at World Cup finals, after scoring against Russia at USA '94 aged 42 years and 39 days, beating how own record set four years earlier.

That appearances also made him the oldest player to appear at a World Cup.

It was a long shot for Walsall to sign one of the stars at Italia' 90, but as Kenny Hibbitt said you don't ask, you don't get.