Famed for his humility as much as for his remarkable displays in the green of Ireland, Paul McGrath heaped praise on team-mates who were more like brothers and still treasures the paternalistic influence of late Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton after being inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame on Friday.
McGrath finally joins former colleagues Liam Brady (2001), Frank Stapleton (2010), Ray Houghton (2011), Kevin Sheedy (2012), Ronnie Whelan (2013), Andy Townsend (2014) and Tony Cascarino (2015) in the governing body's official pantheon of Ireland greats, but the omission of arguably the nation's greatest player of a golden era until this juncture will raise many eyebrows.
It's over 35 years since the former defender, who could also be relied upon to provide sterling service in midfield, made his debut off the bench against Italy at a heaving Dalymount Park.
His 83 caps included Ireland's first appearance at a major championships at Euro '88, as well as the World Cups of 1990 and 1994.
A fan favourite from early in his career, it wasn't just his poise and panache that endeared him to Ireland supporters.
"I think they just knew every time I'd show up and I'd turn out on the pitch I would give 110%," McGrath told FAI TV.
"The Irish people seemed to take to that and I loved when there was a full house, and when we were on our game we were a very, very hard team to beat.
"So I loved being involved in that."
Twenty-three years after retiring from the international set-up, the former St Pat's, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Derby and Sheffield United player admitted to being surprised by the affection he's still held in, even if no one else is.
"Honestly, it's incredible," he said. "I'm walking around Crumlin, I walk around Wexford where I live... people still come up and want photographs and ask me questions about this, that and the other, 'Who do you think was better?' And I love it.
"That's the only thing I know anything about - football."
Expounding on his own unique bewilderment at his status as an Ireland icon, the Black Pearl of Inchicore feared his alcoholism and occasional wayward ways would drive a wedge between him and the Ireland fanbase.
He said: "I'm amazed by that because I was a little bit of a rogue, at one stage of my career. I went through spells where I wasn't as maybe as good a professional as I should have been."
If McGrath was a "rogue", he was always one of the lovable variety, and if he did go missing, it was never on the pitch, which mattered most in fans' forgiving eyes.
Perhaps best remembered for his towering performance in the 1-0 win at Giants Stadium against an Italian side that went all the way to the final at the 1994 World Cup, the 60-year-old is still deflecting praise on to the men he lined up alongside in New Jersey.
"If you look around at eight of them other lads, I would have said to them that that was their best performance in an Irish jersey," McGrath insisted, with Denis Irwin, Terry Phelan, Roy Keane, Steve Staunton, John Sheridan, Andy Townsend and Phil Babb all name-checked.
"We played as a team that night and I was in shock when the final whistle went. And I suddenly realised, 'Jesus, it's over, we've beaten them'. It's a shock to the system because they were a class outfit."
There's no escaping the indelible mark Charlton left on his charge during his decade at the helm. When the 1966 World Cup winner died last month, McGrath admitted to a feeling of foreboding prior to answering a call from a friend who broke the bad news.
"I got an awful weird feeling that it was Jack and then when a friend of mine rang I just said, 'Yeah, I know, it's Jack, isn't it?'"
Afterwards, McGrath reflected on the highs and lows of their time together, and one particular episode occupied his thoughts.
"I was just thinking about the many times I bumped into him when I wasn't so well," he revealed. "The Turkish game came flooding back.
"He came up to my room afterwards - we won 5-0 - and he sat at the end of my bed. I was sweating, all the drink was coming out of me.
"He just sat down next to me at the end of the bed, tapped me on the leg, and said 'I apologise'. He's apologising to me for walking out on him. He said, 'I didn't realise how hard you had it'.
"I just thought, he did that for me loads and loads of times, had my back loads and loads of times. He was a really, really soft human being. He was such a kind human being to me and I'll never forget him for sticking with me."
The tribute to and tales about Charlton after his passing confirmed a man of many contradictions, one with empathy and compassion concealed just under an often gruff exterior.
McGrath went on to cast himself as a willing captive on occasion, one who was being saved from himself and who required firmer handling by a manager known for his lenience.
"I think he genuinely loved the lads," McGrath contended.
"I think he even loved letting them out for a night. He loved the fact that he could trust them enough to say 'go on, go have your fun'.
"Now at that stage I was under lock and key, but everyone else, he let them out, and I think that's what the lads really appreciated about him, that he treated them like, you know, they're just gonna go to a bar, have a laugh, and they will all come back
"In my case, I would have loved to go out with them but I understood, at that stage, that he was doing the right thing for me."
If Charlton was a father figure to McGrath, his team-mates and the Ireland backroom staff also filled familial surrogate roles that weren't always available to him when he was growing up.
"They made it like a family," he added.
"Family, to me, honestly does mean a lot, because I might not have had the most perfect kind of family growing up, but these boys definitely made up for it."
