England's World Cup-winning captain, and the inspirational leader of Leicester for the best part of a decade, heads into his final professional game still insisting, "I'm no legend."
Martin Johnson will captain the Tigers for the last time in today's Grand Final against Wasps at Twickenham.
But he is not about to start letting the emotions of the day distract him from what is at stake - a fifth Premiership title in seven years for Leicester and yet another winners' medal to hang around his substantial neck.
He has spent the last year looking to the future, to life beyond his playing days, and this week found himself sharing drinks with the likes of Garfield Sobers and Ian Botham.
They were all appearing at the launch of Nobok, a new company designed to give the public a chance to meet their sporting heroes. And Johnson, despite his own unprecedented successes as a player, was humbled.
Johnson's record on the world stage bears comparison to the best of them and he will leave the game with a reputation of being one of the game's greatest leaders. As captain of Leicester he led the Tigers to four straight Premiership titles between 1999 and 2002. He lifted back-to-back European Cups in 2001 and 2002, the Premiership in 2001 and Pilkington Cup in 1997.
Johnson won 87 caps for England and was captain for the 2003 World Cup triumph, the 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam and the 2001 Six Nations title success. He became the first man to captain two British and Irish Lions tours and led the 1997 side to victory in South Africa.
And how the green half of Twickenham would love Johnson, Neil Back and coach John Wells to depart the scene with another medal. Back, another bedrock of Leicester's and England's successes in recent times, will take on a coaching role with the Tigers next season and Wells is leaving to join the Rugby Football Union academy.
"It's a big game but your normal emotions will be about trying to win," said Johnson. "You will be disappointed to have lost or happy that you have won. The realisation that it is your last game will probably come a bit later."
Johnson presented the Wasps captain Lawrence Dallaglio with the Kingston Smith Special Merit Award award at the Professional Rugby Players' Association dinner on Wednesday - "I tried to drop it on his foot" - and the old sparring partners will go face-to-face for one last time today.
Wasps are defending champions, having halted Leicester's title run with successive triumphs of their own. But Leicester have set the pace this season and beat Wasps in two seismic European Cup ties. It promises to be quite some send-off.
"It's great that this is the final," said Johnson. "The last six titles have gone to us and only Newcastle have won a title since the game has gone professional.
"This year we have both been a little separated from the teams below us. Sale are a pretty good team and Saracens came along late, but we have been the best two teams. It is the right final."
