At 6' 3" and shaven-headed Philippe Senderos cut a very imposing figure in a playing career that spanned nearly two decades at some of the game's biggest clubs.
He is now embarking on the next stage of his career. and perhaps moving into coaching shouldn't really be a surprise given the calibre of managers he worked with during his playing days.
Senderos is currently in Belfast studying for his coaching badges with the Irish FA.
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At 38 Senderos, a speaker of six languages, is still impressive as he spoke to a small posse of journalists at The Dub.
He spoke of his desire to move into coaching after a three-year spell as Sporting Director of Servette, the club where he began his playing career.
Arsene Wenger clearly made a big impression on him during his seven-year spell at Arsenal, but there was also a Northern Irishman at the Gunners had an impact on the Swiss defender's career, even if he did struggle to understand him at times!
“Pat Rice was very important at Arsenal at that time," said Senderos.
"He was very loyal to Arsenal and to Arsene. He would do all the things Arsene delegated to him, just how Arsene wanted them.
“He was always very complimentary to the players. He made you feel good and I learned a lot from him.
"He helped me adapt to the English game, and he talked about what it meant to play for Arsenal.
“Sometimes you need to see things to understand them, and Pat was able to show me how important Arsenal was."
Senderos is joined in Belfast by fellow former Premier League stars Ronny Johnsen, Antoine Sibierski and Steve Watson as well as former Northern Ireland international Gareth McAuley.
“I wanted to come here because I heard a lot of good things about the IFA course and how it could make me become a better version of myself and get my message across," he said.
"I’m really enjoying it — I want to learn as much as possible and see where it takes me.
“I’ve taken on a lot of information in one week. The IFA create a great learning atmosphere where you can get your point across. And this is a great group of coaches to work with.
“I think as a player it is the obvious path to take.
“I have a lot of interest in other things, I was a sporting director for three years at Servette after I retired from playing.
“I always want to learn, I’m curious to learn, and I want to share my experience a an ex-player.
"Coaching education helps you to structure that knowledge and helps you break it down and to find the best way to explain things.
“It’s important to get your point across in a person’s language. You will teach them more to receive information and I’ve been lucky enough to come from a multicultural background. It’s a help for sure.
“I learnt English in school but when I went to Arsenal and listened to Pat, it was a different language!”
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