Leonardo Ulloa's journey to the Premier League has been harder than most. The striker left his family home in Argentina at just 15 to follow his dream of becoming a footballer. He tells reporter James Sharpe why the suffering has all been worth it.
Family is very important to Leonardo Ulloa. The striker rolls up his sleeve to reveal an impressive array of tattoos. Ink covers the bottom of his left arm, from his elbow to his wrist.
The hoard of national journalists, all itching for a piece of Leicester City's newest hero, lean forward to take a closer look.
Each part of the intricate design has its own special place.
"This is my big daughter," says Ulloa, pointing to the elegant inscription of Morena on the outside of his forearm. "I had it done seven years ago." Next to it is a large pocket watch. The clock's hands are set to the time she was born.
He turns his arm over. On the inside is another name - Sofia. "My little daughter," he says. She is one. Next to it, another pocket watch. Their chains are joined underneath another image: "The dove of peace. They are both together, for their entire lives."
On his wrist, he bears a symbol in honour of his late grandfather. Jose Omar Ulloa died in December last year, aged 94. Leonardo was unable to attend the funeral. Since then, whenever he scores a goal – something that is happening with increasing regularity – he kisses the names of his daughters before pointing to the sky.
This is his tribute to his grandfather, to his 'Abuelo'.
"My grandfather is the symbol of the family," Ulloa explains. "We would have Sunday barbecues, he would be at the grill. He would sit at the head of the table, all the family, and his 11 children, sat around him." Not too dissimilar to the way Ulloa is currently holding court.
For someone whose English is limited, Ulloa speaks very well. He is helped, at times, by one of the journalists, who is fluent in Spanish. Ulloa also has an infectious sense of humour – there is plenty of laughter during this 45-minute interview.
But Ulloa's career has not always been one marked with wide smiles. In fact, his journey to the Premier League has been much harder than most.
For someone who places so much emphasis on his own flesh and blood, Ulloa's path to stardom began with the brave decision to leave his family behind.
The striker left his home in Argentina at the age of 15 and moved 700 miles to follow his dream of becoming a footballer. That decision took him all over his native country, to Spain and, at last, to England where he is, finally, setting the Premier League alight with Leicester.
Ulloa was spotted playing for his local club in General Roca, his home city in the north-east of Río Negro, in northern Patagonia, in a friendly against Comisión de Actividades Infantiles, commonly known as CAI, in Comodoro Rivadavia.
He made quite the impression. A hat-trick later and Ulloa was offered a trial.
It was only meant to last a week but he ended up staying. He left home, living and studying at his new club with other promising youngsters from all over Patagonia.
"That was my chance," says Ulloa. "It meant that at 16 I was playing in the Second Division, that enabled me to play for the national under-17 side, and that took me to San Lorenzo (in Buenos Aires)."
It was a move Ulloa had to make. His only chance to properly make it would be in Buenos Aires. This was where the big clubs were, where the scouts would see him play. But for Ulloa, the youngest of three brothers, the decision to leave home at such a young age was not an easy one.
"My mother suffered a lot," he said. "My father and brothers like football and they knew it was my dream.
"They suffered but they did not want to stand in my way."
Ulloa stayed in Buenos Aires, 600 miles from home this time, for two years, moving to Arsenal Sarandi and then Olimpo but, with his chances becoming increasingly limited, it was time to take the next big plunge - Spain.
"I was not playing a minute, I was not scoring, I was very young and it hurt me a lot," he says. So, Ulloa signed for Castellon in the Spanish Second Division.
That, he says, was the hardest part of his journey. "When I went to Buenos Aires, it was completely my decision," he said. "I wanted to play football. Going to Spain was dictated by the situation.
"I had a wife and a daughter and I was obliged because things were not good, so I had to go from the top flight at home to the Second Division in Spain. I had no other path."
After two impressive seasons with Castellon, he signed for Almeria in La Liga. Ulloa ended his first season as the club's top scorer, with seven goals, but Almeria were relegated.
He bagged 28 the following season, the division's top scorer, before moving to Brighton and, finally, to Leicester, finally fulfilling his ambition of playing in the Premier League.
Ulloa still goes to watch Brighton when he can. He lives in Leicester but his wife and children still are still down there, his daughters in a local school.
And now, 13 years after Ulloa made his brave decision to leave home, he faces the prospect of playing against Manchester United in the Premier League tomorrow afternoon.
It is a good job, then, that Ulloa's family did not stand in his way.
"Looking back now, they know it was worth it because they see that I achieved my dream," he says. "It was hard but all the suffering is forgotten. It was worth it.
"I would not change anything of what I have been through to get here. I feel I am stronger for it."
And it is now Leicester who are reaping the benefits. Three goals in four Premier League games so far. Only Chelsea's Diego Costa has more.
Surprising, perhaps, when you bear in mind Ulloa had no previous Premier League experience. There were certainly eyebrows raised among City fans when the club decided to break their transfer record to sign him in the summer.
Not for Ulloa, though. While he admits he was nervous before his first game against Everton, he never doubted he had what it takes to make his mark at the very top.
"I think because I came in from the Championship, maybe other people did not expect that," he says. "But, for me, yes. I am a striker and I work every day for that. I am a striker; I want to score all the time."
City' pursuit of Ulloa was relentless; four bids were rejected before they finally agreed a fee of around £8million. If he continues scoring at his current rate, that could yet grow to around £10m.
And that price tag, while briefly a source for concern, has now become an integral part of how the City fans go about showing their appreciation for their number 23 – via song.
Just four games into his City career, and he already has his own. Four games. Some players spend years at the club and never have one.
Everyone knows the song by now. Even Ulloa does. However, a handful of the national journalists sat around the table do not. What's all this about a fortune, they ask.
There is an awkward pause. How does it go, they ask again. Someone is going to have to sing it. I sigh. That would be me then. It was a strange moment, singing it to him. A bit awkward, in fact. But Ulloa smiles, at least.
"The first time I felt the people with me it was really good," he says. "I am really happy. It is difficult to come as a record signing and to start well was important. But the fans have supported me a lot and they have made me very happy."
Ulloa would not have been the first City player to be weighed down by the heavy expectation that comes with such a hefty price tag. On that front, a certain Peter Taylor will always leap to mind. But, for Ulloa, now 28, the knowledge that City broke the bank for him drives him on even further.
"It is a good thing – I need to work more and help more because of it, but it is not more pressure," he says. "Maybe, when I was younger, the same situation would have intimidated me. But now, I think it is okay."
The recent arrival Esteban Cambiasso has brought another impressive Argentinian into the City ranks. The former Inter Milan midfielder has played just 45 minutes so far but, already, he has shown glimpses of the impact he could have.
"He is really good for the team because he has so many experiences in football," says Ulloa. "We are a young team and he has so many experiences and can help us in every situation.
"I want to learn everything that he's done and have the vision with which he sees the game. This is the manager inside the box."
For Ulloa, Cambiasso's presence is about more than just football though. How has he settled in, Ulloa is asked. Have you become friends? "No, he's not my friend," laughs Ulloa. He is joking, of course.
"His personality is really good. We speak Spanish all the time – that is important."
They drink mate together, too. Pronounced mah-tay, it is a traditional South American herbal drink where leaves are infused in hot water. It's a bit like tea with the leaves left in; you drink it through a metal straw. Ulloa gets it sent over from Argentina.
Someone who won't be making the same journey, though, is his father, Adrian Segundo Ulloa. Leonardo used to watch the Premier League with his "daddy" when he was a boy, but his father is yet to see his son play there in the flesh. He was going to fly over this weekend but he is still recovering from an operation on his stomach.
So, the family will be watching on television. So too, says Ulloa, will the whole of Argentina.
United have Argentinian players of their own – record £59m signing Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo.
Strangely, Ulloa cannot remember playing against Di Maria. He has, though. He even scored against him for Almeria in a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in 2011. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Sergio Ramos were also playing. That was some team. United should seem like a walk in the park by comparison.
Who, then, will the country be cheering on?
"It will mean a lot there," says Ulloa. "In my city, they will be supporting Leicester – the rest of Argentina will be for United."
Follow James Sharpe on Twitter: @TheSharpeEnd![Leonardo Ulloa's decision to leave his family behind at just 15 is finally paying off with Leicester City in the Premier League]( "Leonardo Ulloa's decision to leave his family behind at just 15 is finally paying off with Leicester City in the Premier League")
