Gareth Bale has been urged to follow Cristiano Ronaldo's example as he weighs up his next move.
Following 16 goals across all competitions in what was a rollercoaster season for the Wales international back at Tottenham, there has been talk of him extending his stay in north London.
However, during Carlo Ancelotti's first press conference as Real Madrid manager, he hinted that a transfer decision has already been made with the Welshman "coming back" to Spain following a loan spell with Spurs.
Bale himself has refused to be drawn on his future, but has said that a decision is likely to be made after the European Championships.
But if Bale was to return permanently to Spurs, he would be following in the footsteps of compatriot Mark Hughes.
The former striker swapped England for Spain when he left Manchester United for Barcelona, only to return to Old Trafford and enjoy even more success.
And whilst the United legend accepts there's a big difference between him and Bale, he has challenged the winger to play into his late 30's whether or not he returns to England.
"I went at a different stage of my career. I left when I was 23, I was back by the time I was 25. Gareth obviously is five or six years older than that so it's different stage that he's at than I was," Hughes said speaking at a Betfair event. "So the comparison is a difficult one to make.
"There seems to be - I don't know where it came from - but there seems to be some talk of retirement and whether or not that's at an international level or God forbid club level but I don't know where they seem to be coming from.
"I'd like to think he's certainly going to go to at least another tournament, another World Cup, before he even contemplates stopping for Wales."
Furthermore, Hughes cited Ronaldo - still going strong at 36 years of age with Juventus and Portugal - as an example for Bale to follow.
"Club-wise, top athletes these days they know how to look after themselves. In my day and age, you get to 30 people assume that you are coming to the end of your career," Hughes added.
"30 is the new 25 in my view, because they know how to look after themselves.
"They know how to have that longevity in their career so they can go on a great level to 34 or 36.
"You got Ronaldo on top of his game at 35-36. So you should sit, look at that and look at that example and maybe think: right, okay that's the challenge.
"That's what I've got to aim for. Let's hope so."
