The 37-year-old made his professional debut in 2001 at the age of 18 but quickly established himself as one of the elite with Toulouse in the European Cup, a competition that Michalak admits he has a special affection for.

“My first memory of the European Cup was back in 1996,” Michalak said. "I was a big fan of Toulouse and I remember the club’s first victory and the try of Jérôme Cazalbou as well as Emile Ntamack lifting the cup.

“When you're little, you want to win the French championship, you want to both play for the French team and compete in the Six Nations. But winning the European Cup was part of the big three for any top player.

"From the moment you face the English, the Irish, the Italians, you feel an atmosphere like when you play for the French team.

“You feel like you are in an international match with a higher intensity game. I remember the European Cup final against Wasps in 2004 which was played at Twickenham. The match was exceptional with two teams playing very well with superb technical and defensive quality.”

Michalak added that under legendary head coach Guy Novès, Toulouse would always target European success as their priority at the start of a campaign.

“When we were preparing for the start of the season, we made sure to do everything to always reach peak form for the first European match," Michalak added.

“Everything we did collectively was aimed at being at our best in Europe and that’s why Toulouse has always performed well in the competition.

“It's the only competition that can accommodate all of these exceptional European teams. I often compare it to the Champions League in football.

“This is the holy grail, these are the best players who play against each other and it highlights the biggest clubs.”

Four-time European Cup winner Frédéric Michalak has described the Heineken Champions Cup as “the holy grail” as the former Toulouse and RC Toulon half-back looks back at his European Rugby career.