When Mark Schwarzer left Middlesbrough for Fulham at the age of 35, he made the mistake of thinking his fine career might be about to fizzle out.
The prospect of signing for a blue-chip club, one of European elite at least, seemed more remote than ever when a move to Arsenal collapsed, two years later.
But Schwarzer is one of those goalkeepers who seem to have unlocked the secret to reversing the effects of time, to get better with age.
Signing for Chelsea at the age of 40, albeit as the back-up to Petr Cech, promises to be a happy final chapter to a playing career which spans 23 years
'When I moved to Fulham I thought that was it,' said Schwarzer, who is in Indonesia with the rest of the Chelsea squad - some of whom coached local children today. 'Then the Arsenal thing popped up, so after that experience I said: Never say never. It's proven to be true. I still say 'Never say never'. It's not over 'til it's over. We'll see.
'I feel incredibly well. They say the older you get you say that because you're trying to hide your age but I am not trying to hide my age. I'm 40 years old but I feel incredibly well and I'm holding my own, no problems whatsoever.
'I feel incredibly fit and I love playing football. As long as I am playing well enough at this level I will continue to play.
'My wife would probably tell you it's just the selfishness coming into play. You definitely need a selfishness. You need the dedication, you need the persistence and the sacrifices. There's no rocket science to it.
'I just look after myself better than I ever have, in the last three or four years in particular. You're talking about diet, training, all sorts of areas of my life. I look after myself better than I ever have and that has helped with the longevity.'
It was Chris Kamara who opened the door into English football when he signed Schwarzer for Bradford in 1996. The Australian then spent 11 years at Middlesbrough and five at Fulham before joining Chelsea earlier this month.
A move to Arsenal collapsed on transfer deadline day in August 2010 because Shay Given rejected a loan move to Fulham. 'It was a huge let-down,' Schwarzer said at the time. 'My head was all over the place.'
Eventually, he got the episode from his system and recaptured his consistent form for Fulham, joining the 40+ goalkeepers at the top level, like Brad Friedel of Tottenham.
'Brad has been playing at the top level and we exchanged a few words,' said Schwarzer. 'We talked about playing at that level and had a bit of a joke about it too. One day we'll sit down and look back and think it was a pretty remarkable accomplishment.
'The aim is to continue to get better. I don't want to stop getting better. If you stop getting better then it's a downward slippery slope. I would like to think that at the tender young age of 40 must prove it is right and that I have continued to improve and hopefully I can continue to get better again.'
'Chelsea is a fantastic club, one of the best in the world, and one of the best managers in the world so it was a pretty easy decision to make. It was out of the blue for everyone else but I knew of some interest a while. Towards the end of the season it moved on pretty quickly and I made a decision after speaking to the manager and the rest is history.'