Gareth Bale is 29 the day after the World Cup final, but he can pocket a fourth Champions League winners' medal in Kiev on Saturday to soften the blow of missing out on the summer's tournament he was so desperate to take part in.
Wales did not qualify, of course. The Euro 2016 semifinalists failed even to make the playoffs for the World Cup, so Bale has had a long time to get over the disappointment of missing out on Russia 2018.
Yet Saturday's showpiece against Liverpool in the Ukrainian capital may offer the former Tottenham winger a moment of reflection at a key stage of his career.
On the international stage his hopes of performing at his peak at a World Cup are, realistically, gone, but he has at least gorged himself on success with Real since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2013.
In five years, Bale has won three European Cups, two FIFA World Club Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey.
He has been an unquestionable success in Spain, becoming by some distance the most successful British footballing export of all-time. But as he approaches the clash with Liverpool this weekend, how much is left in the tank for Bale at Real?
Injuries forced him to spend all but 77 minutes of last season's final against Juventus in Cardiff on the substitutes' bench and he goes into the weekend with his involvement from the start once again in some doubt after another campaign of fitness problems.
Bale has made 38 appearances in all competitions, and weighed in with a more than respectable 19 goals -- with his effort against Barcelona at Camp Nou recently offering a reminder of his ability to deliver on the big occasion.
Yet Bale is no longer an automatic starter for Real under Zinedine Zidane and the famed "BBC" strike partnership of Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo has started just five of Real's 61 matches this season, finishing the 90 minutes together just once.
Isco's emergence as a key figure over the past 18 months, and the development of Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez, have contributed to Bale's difficulties -- though injuries have been the main problem -- and there are likely to be greater challenges ahead if he stays at Real, with the club expected to spend heavily this summer in an effort to reduce the age of the squad and recruit the next generation of Galacticos.
So what now for Bale? Will Saturday prove to be his swansong or will he once again ignore the speculation over his future and remain at Real?
He still has four years to run on his contract at the Bernabeu, but he will not want to spend those years as a bit-part player, waiting impatiently for an opportunity to shine. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are both interested in taking Bale away from Real, as are Manchester United.
Bale could have moved to Old Trafford every summer since 2013, when he rejected a late attempt by David Moyes to persuade him to turn down Real in favour of United when he left Spurs -- one of football's wisest-ever decisions, it subsequently transpired.
Louis van Gaal maintained United's interests and Jose Mourinho has also encouraged Ed Woodward, Old Trafford's executive vice-chairman, to ensure that the club are at the front of the queue if, or when, Bale finally decides to call time on his Real adventure.
But as he approaching his 29th birthday, Bale is facing a decision which will define the final years of his career.
If he remains at Real for another year, his earning power and choice of destination will diminish from the moment his age begins with a three. A 30-year-old with a chequered fitness record, notwithstanding his match-winning qualities, is not the kind of deal that the biggest and best clubs are prepared to entertain.
This summer is different, though, because somebody will still be prepared to spend big for Bale.
The question is whether he wants to fight for his future at Real -- and his involvement this season suggests that will be a losing battle -- or if he believes that the time has come to seek a new challenge.
He has done it all at Real, so anywhere else will be a step down. But whether Real win or lose on Saturday, there is little else for Bale to achieve in Spain. By the time he celebrates his 29th birthday, he may be wearing the colours of another club.