THEY may ridicule his dress sense and have memories of him in a green shirt when they were just primary school kids but there is no mistaking the huge wealth of respect the Irish squad have for Steve Staunton.
He is already Ireland's most capped player, he is the only Irish man to play in all three World Cups and he is now the team captain after taking over from Roy Keane.
But a career that has driven him through more troughs and valleys has taught Dundalk's finest export to long since stop taking football for granted.
And even on the verge of a 100th cap for his country he prefers to err on the side of caution with an 'if selected' attached to everything he says. His experiences at both club and international level have taught him to use his guard well.
Staunton is Ireland's Comeback Kid, a man who was down on his luck 12 months ago and looking for two large nails to hang his international boots on.
He couldn't get his place in the Irish defence and struggled to make an impression in his second tour of duty at Aston Villa.
But today he leads Ireland out for that 100th international cap and prepares to join an elite band of football greats that have reached that extraordinary milestone for their countries.
Dalglish, Moore, Zoff, Shilton - the name Staunton should sit neatly in such illustrious company.
Yet it's something he says he has never considered and is humbled to be classed in that exalted bracket: "I honestly haven't thought about that and that's the Gospel truth. Never once have I considered it because I wouldn't consider myself to be in their league.
"I'll leave it up to others to judge what I have achieved after my career is over," he said.
Typical of the man he will keep the champagne on ice until after this tournament. The magnitude of his achievement has been consumed by the very reason he has put himself in the position he is in - his hard, grey professionalism.
He isn't taking selection for tonight's game as a fait d'accompli: "There's a chance I can win 100 caps tonight but there is also a chance that we can put ourselves in a great position which is more important," he said.
"Winning 100 caps might mean something in years to come but at this moment in time the only thing I'm concentrating on is to get us out of the group," he said.
So he will put the sentiment and emotion of the occasion out of his mind for the night as he seeks to drive Ireland into the next phase of the competition.
Staunton has never suffered fools gladly and has never allowed himself to be walked on in a career spanning 15 years with Liverpool, Villa and Liverpool again before a second return toVilla.
In his wonderful autobiography 'Full Time' Tony Cascarino tells of a night when a young Staunton, not long an Irish international, was ordered by Liam Brady to fetch a round of drinks at the team hotel for the resident card school a few nights before an International by Liam Brady.
The youngest member of the squad should have hopped to the tune of the oldest and most experienced but instead the answer, according to Cascarino, was a terse "Fxxx Off!"
Staunton has never been slow to hold his ground. Niall Quinn has been around for slightly longer than Staunton and would agree with that sentiment.
"His desire to win is amazing.Nobody walks on him but he isn't cheeky and he'd do anything for the team. If he was quiet I'd be worried," said Quinn.
He would have walked away from international football last year if it wasn't for McCarthy's insistence that he stay on.
"Mick always said he wanted me in the squad. When I wasn't in the side and was just part of the squad I had my doubts but I was very fortunate I got a lucky chance last summer. I think I've taken my chance."
Staunton was an 11th hour call up for the injured Gary Breen for the Portugal match in Dublin. He partnered Richard Dunne, played well and was rated man of the match four days later when Ireland went to Estonia without Keane and carved out a 2-0 win.
Estonia allowed him to beat Cascarino's 88 cap record but again he deemed the result much more important than the milestone.
The rest is history. Staunton became the anchor at the heart of the defence and Dunne lost out to Breen on his return claiming the remaining 12 caps that takes him to the point of a much celebrated century.
After being part of the squad and playing regularly for 12 or 13 years I thought maybe it was time to think about stepping aside but I'm glad I didn't."
Staunton's hunch that this Ireland team promised so much tugged at his judgement: "I had felt it for a few years that we were going places and I think this World Cup is only the start of this squad to be honest.
"We could have qualified for the last World Cup and Euro 2000 but the fact that we didn't has made the younger lads more aware and more experienced of the downside of things.
"I've been delighted to see the squad change in personnel. I have seen it at club level but to see it at international level has been marvellous."
A conversion to centre-back has helped him to enjoy an Indian Summer career on the football field. His former international boss Jack Charlton is convinced that if he had stuck with left back he wouldn't be at the World Cup now.
"He doesn't have the pace any more to go up and down but he has an astute brain," said Jack.
With Ireland he has been left back, left side of midfield, middle of midfield and now centre-half offering an unprecedented level of versatility.
Staunton's talent was spotted early in his life by Liverpool, a club with such close connections with his hometown Dundalk.
By 15 he was on his way only returning to help his local Clan na Gael side to successive Louth titles.
By 20 he had won his first cap for Ireland against Tunisia and played his part in an FA Cup/league double with Liverpool.
By 25 he had seen his second World Cup.
The wheels began to come off when Graeme Souness offloaded him to Villa but Roy Evans, a coach at Anfield when he first went there, promptly took him back.
Managers differ but the patient has always offered an honest service.
His future beyond the World Cup is in the dark.
Keane has already retired him and if there's no McCarthy there'll be no Staunton.
The prospect of management excites him and he already has his eye on a young Irish team: "I'd love the chance, I'd be crackers not to. They're great lads and have a wonderful future.
"There are great players around. We had a good team in 1990 but the strength in depth was nowhere near what it is now," he said.
As they say in this game - watch this space.
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