Not everyone's cancelled trip leads to a sliding doors moment, but it did for Robert Lewandowski in 2010, when he was on the verge of joining Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
After joining Bayern Munich in 2014 and becoming one of the best attackers in the world, Lewandowski appears to be on his way out this summer.
If things had gone differently in the start of 2010, when he was meant to travel to England, the Polish striker would never have made it to Bayern in the first place.
The eruption of Iceland's Grimsvotn prevented the then-Lech Poznan player from flying to Lancashire and seeing the facilities.
With Dortmund, Lewandowski won the title. Image credit
Sam Allardyce had gone to see the striker in the hope of persuading him to join Rovers, but his failure to go over to examine the facilities put an end to Rovers' chances of landing the then 21-year-old.
Last year, the striker confessed, "I had the possibility to join Blackburn, but I wanted to see how Blackburn looked, the training facility, the area where I met with Sam Allardyce."
"It happened after a game in Poland. He seemed like a nice person and a great coach to me.
"He was willing to take a young guy who was different and had the potential to be something extraordinary.
"He desired to visit me in Poland. That was a great touch."
Jurgen Klopp (second from left) and other new additions at Borussia Dortmund with Lewandowski (far right). Image credit
"There were a lot of offers to consider about when I was leaving Poznan," Lewandowski continued. 'What would I get if I went there?' I wondered. What would I discover?'
"I suppose going to Blackburn would have been OK, but I would have liked to see the training center and the stadium." Because of the cloud, I was unable to attend. It was the eruption of the volcano. The ash cloud from the volcano.
"There was a week when no one could fly in Europe." We had a flight booked, but we were unable to board. It had a significant impact on my life. If I had gone to Blackburn, I could have gotten a better deal.
Bayern Munich appears to have waved farewell to Lewandowski. Image credit
Instead of moving to England, the Poznan attacker moved to Borussia Dortmund for roughly £5 million after the season ended.
He scored 103 goals in 187 games for the Bundesliga team, helping them win the league twice and reach the Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich.
In 2012, he had a second chance to join the Premier League when Sir Alex Ferguson wanted him but decided to sign Robin van Persie instead.
Lewandowski's stellar performance at Dortmund earned him a move to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he went on to score 344 goals in 375 games, be denied a Ballon d'Or he deserved, and set other records.
What may have happened if it hadn't been for an ash cloud in Iceland...
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