The captain of Everton is human after all:
Phil Neville admits accepting the Everton captaincy from manager David Moyes made him Mr Unpopular.
"When he did that I thought, 'Wow, I could be upsetting a whole dressing room here'. And I think at the time I did. I think I upset a lot of people. There was probably a bit of, 'Who does he think he is?'
"So I had to be strong - and I was. I had to grit my teeth.
"But once people worked out all I wanted was the best for Everton, and to be successful for the team, they accepted me.
"You could hear the vibe. The team had finished fourth and here was a lad who the gaffer put a lot of faith in when there were other senior players he could have turned to. But I think he had a vision of where he was going and I was an important part of that.
"He wanted to change the mentality at Everton.
"It was really difficult because I wanted to be accepted as Phil Neville the footballer, not Phil Neville the ex-Man United player. It was a tough situation.
"Looking back, to gain more friends at the club at the time I could have said 'No'.
"But when you want to win things you have to upset people and it was a difficult time. It probably took a season for them to fully understand that I wasn't a spy or a teacher's pet. Me going out 25 minutes early on to the training ground is what I have done throughout my career. It took eight to 12 months for them to realise that's what I do.
"But I think the mentality has changed and, if I have brought anything to Everton, it is the professionalism on and off the pitch. Hopefully that is the legacy I have left at Everton.
"I love the banter with the lads and they still call me The Manc. I think it is so important, at a club like this, to have that togetherness."