As Mark Noble was announced on to the London Stadium pitch last Sunday, one hand holding tight to daughter Honey, the other arm hanging around the neck of son Lenny, he found it hard to process what he was experiencing.
He was a fan of West Ham when he was a kid. He made his first-team debut at the age of 11 and has made over 500 appearances for the club.
He never played for anyone else after he was a teenager.
Ben Shepherd announced "Mr West Ham" before Noble and his kids began the walk through an enormous guard of honour. After the 2-2 draw with Manchester City, he was hit by a wall of noise from supporters who had remained in their places.
He said in an interview that he couldn't believe it was him.
There was no spare seat in the stadium. I was very proud of myself. I've been involved in football for a long time. I have not seen a send-off like that before.
The story went further than West Ham.
There was genuine appreciation for someone who made his reserve-team debut at 15 and then made his senior bow in a League Cup tie two years later. He is acknowledged to be a decent person in football. Noble's story strikes a rare chord with other fans. He is the embodiment of what they want to be, the hometown boy captaining their local club on the biggest stage.
In the immediate aftermath of the City game, the City boss went to Noble and spoke to him intensely. He did the same thing in his career at Barcelona, although he did end up with a number of short-term contracts elsewhere.
I will never forget what he said, but I won't share it with him.
He knows what it's like to be a home-grown player. Winning and losing are not the same thing. The highs were very high and the lows were very low for me. In my later years, I had to learn to not take it home with me.
Years and years ago, there were a lot of local boys playing. But times don't stop. Most teams in the premier league have scouts in every country. Every player has potential.
I came through as a West Ham fan and lived, not just every West Ham fan, but every fan's dream. Millions of people in this country pay a lot of money to go and watch their teams because it's a way to play for and captain the team you grew up supporting. They have an affiliation and loyalty.
At the opening of the Mark Noble Arena at the West Ham academy, Noble spoke.
Within earshot were two current West Ham first-team players who have followed Noble's path from the academy, Ben Johnson and Declan Rice.
Noble said thatcademies are so important that if we went into the market now, we would be looking at near on 150 dollars.
Rice is linked with moves away from his parent club more than any other player.
It is difficult to imagine Rice remaining a Hammer for a further decade, as Noble did, given the growing wealth on offer and the widening financial gap between the bigger clubs and the rest.
He said that he had it on numerous occasions but always wanted to stay.
I wanted to help get the club back to the premier league.
Noble is focused on the final game of his career at Brighton and getting the win that may yet be enough to secure a return to the Europa League in which West Ham performed so well this season.
He hasn't decided what to do with the rest of his life. He wants to spend some time with his family and support his children, knowing that his son is currently at the West Ham academy.
He is content right now, as outlined in his response to a message he received from a teammate.
He told the player to go out on his own terms and not let the game retire him.
That leaves you with peace. That was important to me.
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