Falkirk boss John Hughes has revealed a face-to-face meeting with Russell Latapy convinced him the Trinidad & Tobago ace was ready to lead the club into the SPL next season.
Although delighted to still have Latapy in his squad, Hughes admits Falkirk are finding it difficult to attract players of a similar calibre for the SPL.
He said: "I purposely went over to Porto to look Russell in the eye and ask if he could play for another year.
"Talk is cheap and on the phone it is easy for people to say, 'I will do this and I will do that' but I wanted to see what he could bring.
"Russell is a remarkable wee guy and I think he gets a bad press. He will give any kind of advice to all the young players.
"He brings so much to this football club and he plays the game in a manner I expect the game to be played.
"I am delighted to get Russell to sign on at Falkirk for another year, especially as he is doing his first-team coaching role - that gives him more responsibility."
While finding it hard to bolster his squad with quality, Hughes revealed he may use Latapy's contacts to try and bring new faces to Falkirk Stadium.
He said: "Russell is well connected with agents and players in Portugal and he will help us on that front as well.
"I may have to trust Russell to do a deal on a player at some stage as he knows what budgets we are working to at the club."