Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei knows he needs to stop the man he used to manipulate virtually if he is to achieve Super Bowl 50 success against the Denver Broncos.
Eighteen-year veteran quarterback Peyton Manning was the Tonga-born Lotulelei's player of choice when he was on his games console growing up.
His love for video games remains but former Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Manning is now a foe Lotulelei must slow on the gridiron, rather than his joystick's biggest ally.
"He was on all the video games; he was my favourite," the 26-year-old said.
"I would pick the Colts just because of Peyton Manning, he was just unbeatable. It's going to be huge playing against him this Sunday."
The Manning Lotulelei used to opt for back then is very different to the 39-year-old who could bid farewell to the sport with a second Super Bowl ring in San Francisco this weekend.
Manning threw just nine touchdowns in 2015, compared to 39 in 2014 and a record-breaking 55 in 2013, and has adopted more of a back-seat role in a Broncos run led by the defence and by running backs Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson.
However, Lotulelei has warned the Panthers not to underestimate the five-time MVP selection.
"He's still Peyton Manning, you've got to prepare for Peyton Manning the same you would at any other time," he added.
"He's Peyton Manning, he's dangerous and he's brilliant mentally and physically. As a defensive front we've got our work cut out for us this week.
"They've been running the ball well and have two running backs who've been great for them. We've got to approach this game like we have all year - try to knock out the run and get after Peyton as much as we can."
Lotulelei, a stout running-stuffing presence in the middle of Carolina's defensive line, has been a key figure in a Panthers front seven which is expected to cause Manning problems at Levi's Stadium.
They had the sixth-best defence in both points and yards allowed in the regular season, yet they developed a worrying trait of frittering away big leads that left their victories more slender.
However, Lotulelei believes they answered any concerns about taking the foot of the gas with the 49-15 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.
"Our defence as a whole, we've been playing some good football," Lotulelei said.
"We've had a few games where we've let in a little more than we'd like, but as a whole we've been playing really good.
"Arizona was huge to make that statement, especially in the NFC Championship Game, it gave us a lot of confidence going into this game."
