Legendary Swedish striker Henrik Larsson does not embellish or linger on self-mythology when discussing his illustrious career, yet his numbers alone would justify some reverence: 498 career goals for club and country, 242 for Celtic, decisive moments in European finals, and a reputation crystallised in three of the world's great football cities.
He is beloved not simply for the trophies but for the manner of them - relentless, intelligent, and selfless in service of the team.
Ask fans from Glasgow to Barcelona to Manchester, and the answer is the same: he was a forward you could trust when it mattered most.
Flashscore had the opportunity to speak with the man himself about his own glittering career, the movements of former teammates, as well as his hopes for Swedish football's future and his son's own career.
Education in the Netherlands
Before the trophies and acclaim, there was Feyenoord.
In 1993, Larsson left Helsingborg for the Eredivisie, his first taste of life abroad.
"Moving to Holland was different," Larsson says.
"Obviously, the culture and a new language meant you had to adapt.
"But it was a good experience, and I think I learned a lot about what it meant to be a professional football player."
He confessed that he no longer speaks to his old coach, Willem van Hanegem, although he stays in touch with his teammates.
These days, he views Feyenoord from a distance, with his focus trained more on friends like former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot and former teammate Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who are arguably now reaching the peak of football's coaching pyramid at Liverpool.
"I don't follow (Feyenoord) in a special way," he admits. "Obviously, I'm always looking out when you have friends who are managers or assistant managers, but other than that, no.
"I see the results (of Liverpool), and obviously, we have Alexander Isak there as well, so there's a lot of interest from the Swedish channels that show the Premier League.
"As for managing myself, no, at the moment I'm quite happy where I am."
The Netherlands shaped his professionalism. Scotland, however, gave him his immortality.
A legend in Glasgow
Larsson arrived at Celtic in 1997 and left in 2004 as the club's talisman, its most reliable source of goals, its beating heart and one of the Bhoys' all-time greats.
"Celtic is where I became the player that everybody got to see in the end, where I made my name and had a lot of success," he reflects.
The numbers are astonishing: 242 goals in 315 games, four league titles, a plethora of cup triumphs, and the European Golden Shoe for 53 goals in the 2000/01 season.
However, his years in Glasgow are remembered as much for their moments as for their statistics.
"There are a lot of memories, but if you're looking at positive ones, yeah, I have to say beating the other team 6-2 wasn't bad, and a great goal in that game as well.
He is, of course, talking about the Old Firm of August 2000, when Celtic tore Rangers apart and Larsson's chip over Stefan Klos became one of the defining images of the fixture.
Celtic was not only an employer but a genuine lifetime bond.
Supporters voted him the only non-Scot in their all-time XI, proof that for all the medals and records, Larsson gave them something deeper: a sense of pride for their club.
"I don't have one particular goal that I'm extremely proud of because I think I scored a lot of great goals when I was there," he adds.
"It was also the club that gave me an opportunity when I was not happy in Holland.
"It was a fantastic adventure for me and my family, and all the history we created together was amazing."
The glory in Catalonia
When Larsson moved to Barcelona in 2004 after seven years in Scotland, it was into a constellation of stars: Ronaldinho in full flight, Samuel Eto'o at his peak, Xavi and Iniesta coming of age, Carles Puyol marshalling at the back. And on the periphery, a young boy called Lionel Messi.
"You saw that he had the potential to become a great player," Larsson remembers of Messi's early days.
"But at the time, I played with the world's best player, Ronaldinho, and I couldn't see anybody being better than him. But Messi proved it was possible.
"He had close control, speed, ability and vision. Having those components is one thing, but putting them all together is another.
"He did it, and he became arguably the best player we have ever seen."
Without committing to putting pressure on potentially the world's next great star, Larsson agrees that Lamine Yamal is showing similar promise.
"You can see he's already done a lot, and there is potential for him to reach even higher levels, but that is up to him.
"If he fully commits to everything, the sky is the limit."
Larsson's crowning moment came in Paris in 2006.
Trailing Arsenal in the Champions League final, Barcelona needed a way back. Larsson stepped off the bench and turned the match, supplying the assists for Eto'o's equaliser and Juliano Belletti's winner.
"There were two defining moments, and they were the two assists. That's part of the reason why I'm always going to be a big part of the Barcelona history."
"After the Champions League final in 2006, when we won, we climbed a little hurdle for Barcelona because it had been a long time, it was only their second European Cup.
"That made it possible for the next group to believe, and they showed it for years afterwards. Even after I left, they pushed on and did it again, which is not easy."
His serious, focused facade wavers slightly when asked about the life behind the scenes and in a dressing room filled with such big characters.
"You have to ask them, because I'm the older player, so they shared their dressing room with me," he quips.
"No, I'm joking. It was great. Ronaldinho always had a big grin. It was a pleasure to play with those guys."
Classy cameo in Manchester
By the time Larsson joined Manchester United in January 2007 - a surprise move but one that many accepted made plenty of sense at the time - his reputation was already written.
His stay lasted just 10 weeks, a loan that yielded three goals, including a Champions League knockout strike against Lille, and ultimately earned him the respect of Sir Alex Ferguson.
"When we did shooting practice, Sir Alex always said, 'Hit the target.' If you missed, you would hear his voice immediately. That focus meant you made sure you hit the target the next time.
"You can have a bad day, but you can always work hard for the team. As long as you did that, you would always get a second chance.
"Running is the easiest part of football. You can always run, make runs for others, even if you don't score. That was the pillar he built everything on."
His colleagues gave him a standing ovation after his final appearance, and he remains fondly remembered on the terraces at Old Trafford.
And then there was the machine-like presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
"His willingness to always stay after practice and shoot free kicks, demanding that the keepers stay with him. Always giving 100 per cent, being in the gym before practice, and doing the ice baths after. Preparing your body, because your body is your tool."
Longevity, he stresses, is about discipline. "Without taking care of your body, it's impossible to play after 35."
But Larsson doesn't see it as his place to criticise the club in its current, desperate form under Ruben Amorim, and really, since Sir Alex departed.
"The current United team has struggled for years, but I don't want to speculate too much," Larsson says when asked about the Red Devils' recent plight.
"The squad and the coach need the space to correct what needs to be corrected."
Family pride and Sweden's bright future
Larsson's son, Jordan, is now at Copenhagen and recently scored his first goal in the Champions League.
"I'm very proud," he beams. "He's on the right track. He's settled in Copenhagen, at a good club with a good structure. He's happy there, and so is the family.
"He's 28 now and still has at least 10 years. He was one of the leading players in winning the double last season, and he scored in the Champions League recently. He's on the right track.
"(His Champions League goal) was a really good striker's finish, using the speed of the ball and just caressing it. I was there live, so it was special for me and my wife."
And beyond family, there is Sweden's next wave.
Alexander Isak's leap to Liverpool after excelling at Newcastle looks to Larsson like the natural step of a talent that was always going to reach a high bar.
"It's not for me to give him advice. He's been a talent since he was 15.
"Playing at Newcastle is not easy, and he did it fantastically well. Now he's going to Liverpool - it's just the next step.
"I told (Barcelona) about him when I was there (as a coach). They asked me for a list of strikers, and I said Alexander Isak.
"He was one of them, and I actually also had Lewandowski on it."
Lucas Bergvall at Tottenham Hotspur also excites him.
"I think he's one of the biggest talents," Larsson says of the 19-year-old.
"He already played a lot of games last year in the Premier League. It's just a question of finding his legs, understanding what is demanded of him in his position. Once he does, he can be really good."
Larsson's recollections are delivered with precision, not nostalgia. He is not a man who comes across as wanting or needing to sugar-coat his formidable playing career. Humbly, he allows others to do that for him.
Feyenoord gave him discipline, Celtic gave him immortality, Barcelona gave him European glory, and United gave him the seal of Sir Alex.
Sweden's next wave - Isak, Bergvall, Viktor Gyokeres, and the like - will write their own stories.
And if son Jordan does, the man affectionately dubbed the 'King of Kings' may yet still see his crown passed down.
