More than a decade at Manchester United saw John O'Shea involved in his fair share of big games and nerve-wracking occasions.
The Republic of Ireland defender is not about to be fazed by the challenge of facing the World and European champions Spain in Gdansk on Thursday.
O'Shea said: "Look, you are coming to an elite competition, the cream of Europe, and you have a chance to play against some of the best players in the world, like Spain, who have proved it.
"The have won the European Championships, they have won the World Cup, so they have proven how good they are.
"We have got the chance to show our stuff against them. What more is there to look forward to than a game like that?
"That's the reason you play football and why you look forward to going to training every day.
"If you can't test yourself against the best.... We will certainly be doing that against Spain."
After waiting ten years to play at a major tournament, O'Shea is determined not to let the opening game loss to Croatia ruin the experience.
O'Shea, who made his debut in August 2001, was the longest serving Irish player never to have been selected for a major tournament.
The Sunderland defender firmly believes Ireland can cause problems for Vicente Del Bosque's all-conquering side, even though the odds are stacked against them.
He said: "You can't enjoy it when you are not winning football matches, unfortunately. If we get a positive result against Spain, that will put a different complexion on it.
"We will analyse the game against Italy from a few days ago. We know they have some fantastic players, but we can cause them some problems.
"We are going to have to keep our shape. The team shape is going to be so important against Spain because they can cut you open. Staying with the runners, not following the ball with the one-twos, is a massive thing.
"Obviously, the Barcelona trait is very evident through their team, but they have got some great attacking players.
"We can beat Spain, but we are going to need a lot of luck along the way and we are going to have to play better too."
Several Irish players have cited the performance against France in Paris in 2009 as an example of when they have exceeded expectations against top class opposition.
On that night, they cast off the defensive shackles and attacked the French, outplaying supposedly superior opposition.
The Sunderland defender said: "We have done it in the past against the top teams and were good enough to get results, and we will have to do that again.
"Our backs will be against the wall for probably the majority of the game, but that's normally when we come out and shine."
Today's training session in Gdynia finished with a game between the Culchies and the Dubs, with the Culchies coming out on top.
Waterford man O'Shea is determined to be on the winning side again on Thursday night.
Glenn Mason, Gdynia
