One of the greatest English players of the last two decades is also a study in humility and honesty.
He genuinely feels fortunate.
It is a phenomenon common to so many iconic sportsmen and women.
Pull on the robes of combat and there is a confidence, a swagger, a self-belief, an aggression that defines a supreme athlete.
Stripped of them, their belligerence vanishes.
That was Steven Gerrard the player and that is Steven Gerrard the man.
It was predictable and fitting that among those name-checked for significant gratitude were Steve Heighway, Dave Shannon and Hugh McAuley - his Liverpool mentors at youth level.