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"This one went viral. I was thinking if he punches me he might get sent off and it'll give us a better chance of winning."

Swansea City defender Chico Flores didn't punch West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce, but he did nonetheless manage to etch his name into the club's folklore courtesy of an incident that would reverberate long after a dour goalless draw between the Swans and the Hammers had finished.

Allardyce famously took exception to the Spaniard's reaction to a clash with Carlton Cole, laughing in his face for what he believed was an over-exaggerated fall.

That moment alone was enough to whet the appetite of those in charge of the highlight reels, but the image of the two clashing would resurface three years later following Allardyce's dismissal as England boss after just one game in charge.

The player mocked up an iconic image of the pair to give himself a cigar, sunglasses and a gold chain.

It was a picture that was retweeted thousands of times, and is clearly something that many people ask him about to this day.

However, it seems Chico has moved on from any rivalry with the former Sunderland boss, and is seemingly keen to extend an olive branch out to his former rival.

"It was something that came naturally to me, another anecdote," he recalls. "But I prefer not to talk about it any more and I hope that as a coach it goes well for him.

"I don’t think that [the incident] has much relevance. It was in the heat of the moment during a game and passions run high."

Perhaps his reluctance to talk about kicking a man when he's down comes from his experience of being on the other side of the fence.

Now 32, Chico is currently without a club after cancelling his contract with financially troubled Russian side Rubin Kazan in February over lack of payments.

He admits it's a tricky time for him and his career, but he remains positive about it all.

"I am now waiting for the summer transfer window to join a new team," he says.

"Thank God, my life has gone very well since I left Swansea, although it's a pity now because I had some beautiful years living there."

The centre-back arrived in South Wales in the summer of 2012, penning a three-year deal following a £2million move from Genoa.

Having spent the previous season on loan with Real Mallorca, Chico was introduced to Danish boss Michael Laudrup.

It was the start of a special working relationship and when the opportunity arose to join him in and test his mettle in English football with the Swans, he was never going to turn it down.

"Everything about the club attracted me," he continues. "But the two main things were seeing how football was lived in the UK and the interest from the coach, Michael Laudrup, with whom I had worked with before.

(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

"My first impression of the club was very good, both of the players and the club, but especially the fans.

"All my memories from Swansea are very good - I had my best years there. Without a doubt, my best memory was when we won the Capital One Cup and we gave huge happiness to the fans and the club."

Swansea's triumph at Wembley six years ago is a day that Jacks everywhere, particularly in light of the team's recent struggles, will continue to cherish for generations.

Chico himself played an important part in Swansea's march to that glorious day, even grabbing himself a goal in the 3-1 win over Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool in the last-16 tie at Anfield.

However, injury meant he was forced to sit out the hammering over giant-killing Bradford City after picking up an ankle ligament injury in the 4-1 win over QPR, despite his best attempts to bounce back.

"I tried until the very last day," he recalls. "I was being treated by the doctors and physiotherapists three or four times a day and I continued training until the end.

"It was a shame to play all the competition and miss the final, but this is football and what matters is that we won and I celebrated just as much with the rest of the team."

Despite that obvious setback, the Spaniard became a big favourite among Swans fans during his two-year spell at the club, going on to make 57 appearances in total, but there was clearly a massive bond with those on the ground too, in a dressing room that time and time again displayed a level of courage and togetherness that often trumped their Premier League rivals.

"Throughout my career, I have met hundreds of players, but I think my favourite team-mates were the ones I had in Swansea," he remembers.

"The game was very beautiful, everything worked out well and we beat even the big teams who had budgets much bigger than ours.

"There are many stories from the dressing room but one of my fondest memories was when we used to compete not to keep the pink car for a week in the city.

"I still keep in touch with many of my former team-mates. We have a WhatsApp group. As I said, it was a very good time of my life."

The infamous pink car, which dished out as a fine to players who failed in the squad's weekly crossbar challenge, arguably summed up the tremendous spirit running through the team.

Indeed, it seemed a golden period for Swansea, who followed up that win at Wembley with a memorable European campaign that peaked with a famous victory at Valencia's Mestalla the following season, but Laudrup's reign would eventually sour.

A tough run of five Premier League games without a win saw the Swans nervously looking over their shoulder in early 2014, and tensions soon boiled over, with Chico at the heart of one of the most infamous incidents witnessed on a Swansea training ground in years.

A disagreement with captain Garry Monk allegedly blew up into a full-blown furious row, with one witness account even alleging that the Spaniard threatened his team-mate with a brick - an allegation he strenuously denies.

"That is totally false," he insists. "A brick was never involved in an argument. Reality is that in football there are always arguments among players. It is true that one day we argued since we both are players with a strong personality, but that is all it was.

"We talked through it and we sorted it out. I think Garry Monk is a great player and person. He is now a good coach and I wish him every success."

A couple of weeks later, with Swansea just two points above the relegation zone, Laudrup was dismissed and Monk was installed in the hot seat indefinitely.

Chico would depart too that summer, linking up with the Dane once more out at Lekhwiya in Qatar.

It was a move that surprised many at the time, but Chico's obvious admiration for his former boss makes it far more understandable.

"Michael Laudrup is pure elegance. Everyone knows that, as a football player, he was one of the best. But the thing that impressed me the most about him was a coach and in particular how humble he is as a person," he explains.

"Without a doubt, he is the best coach I have had in my career - it was a pleasure and a luxury to work with him for so many years and in three different countries."

Explaining why he left Swansea, he continues: "I left because I consider myself to be a loyal person towards the people who have believed in me, such as Michael Laudrup. He left to go to Qatar and asked if I would join him.

"I couldn’t say no to a coach and a person who always believed in me. Furthermore, the atmosphere in the Swansea dressing room changed a bit in many ways and I didn’t get good vibes from it.

"Sadly, this year they have gone down to the Championship - I hope they go back up to the Premier League soon as it is what the club and the fans deserve.

"Qatar was something different, with a very distinct culture, but the three years I lived there were good."

But the reunited pair would last just over a year before splitting again, with Laudrup departing at the end of the 2015 season.

A return to Spain followed for Chico, who by this time was looking to settle down following the birth of his first child and opted for a move to second-tier side Granada.

He explains: "We wanted to go back to Spain to be close to our families and so that our child could be born there.

"I am now the father of a beautiful boy called Gael and a gorgeous girl called Chloe."

However, the pull of his homeland didn't last long, and soon a new challenge emerged, taking him to the Russian Premier League with Rubin Kazan.

It was an experience he admits was perhaps a mistake, with financial problems at the club allegedly leaving him unpaid for his time there, where he made just eight appearances before having his contract terminated by mutual consent.

"Various Russian teams had shown an interest in me before and I fancied having another new experience," he adds.

"It didn’t end well because they didn’t deliver on what they promised.

"We didn’t get paid a single euro since we got there because of the financial problems the club was having.

"That is why I left last February."

At the age of 32, retirement would perhaps be tempting, but Chico is keen to stay in the game, and with Swansea clearly still never far from his thoughts, he's even suggested he would be open to making a sensational return to the Liberty Stadium.

"I always watch Swansea play," he says. "Let’s hope the club has luck and it can go back up to the Premier League soon, which is what the club deserves.

"I would play again for an English team, even though it wasn’t something I had planned for as I always look for new experiences. And if it was to play for Swansea, even better, as that is where I had my best years."

A return to SA1 would surely go down well with many Swans fans, but if their paths don't happen to cross again in the future, he nevertheless has a simple message for the club's fans.

"I would say to the fans to be calm, patient - this is football, and you cannot always be at the top.

"All the clubs have some years that are better than others. They should remember a few years ago they were in League Two, about to disappear, and soon after that we were playing against the biggest teams, winning a big title - the Capital One Cup - and going far in the Europa League.

"They were the golden years of Swansea. The time where the club will go back up will arrive and the club and the fans will be where they deserve."

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