Sergio Ramos turned 34 on Monday and the Real Madrid captain remains essential in his 15th season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ramos has racked up 640 appearances since signing for Los Blancos from Sevilla in 2005 and scored 91 goals, among them some of the most important in Real's recent history.
But amid all the memorable moments for the centre-back at the Bernabeu, there have been some tense times too and another showdown between player and club could soon be on the cards.
Ramos almost left Madrid in 2015 amid a tense stand-off as relations with club president Florentino Perez soured and the defender came close to a move to Manchester United.
Differences were settled in the end, but Perez and Ramos clashed once more after Madrid's Champions League exit against Ajax last season and again the centre-back considered leaving the club.
The matter was resolved and the captain cleared the air in a press conference at the end of the season amid rumours he could be off to China.
Out of contract in the summer of 2021, Ramos now wants to sign a new two-year deal with Los Blancos. However, at the moment Madrid are only prepared to offer a single season on top of his current deal.
If he were to sign for two more years, the Spain skipper would be 37 by the time that agreement ends and not many players are able to stay at the very top of their game until that age.
Ramos keeps himself in superb shape and clearly believes he can continue at the highest level for some time to come.
However, he will be free to negotiate with other clubs next January if an agreement cannot be reached before then.
"I'm a Madridista, I want to retire here," he said last May. "I don't want to leave Real Madrid, I would play here for free."
That is unlikely to be true when negotiations start, but there may have to be some compromise from both sides if the defender is to finish his playing days in the famous white shirt.
