Kyle Walker may be the oldest player in England's Euro 2024 squad, but he has taken inspiration from the likes of Pepe and Luka Modric, who insists he is far from ready to retire.
The 34-year-old, who has been a regular in Gareth Southgate's side in recent years, is currently playing in his fifth major tournament for England – who face Denmark in Group C on Thursday, knowing that a victory would see them qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2024.
Walker, who led Manchester City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, remains one of the world's top right-backs.
Gareth Southgate revealed last year that he had twice persuaded Walker to give up his international career, but now the defender is determined to move on.
When asked if he thinks this could be his last race and therefore more motivated to win his first major international trophy, he replied: "Of course I want to go as far as I can.
'I've played for the national team so many times – to be honest, I never thought I'd do that, so to be able to represent the national team for so many years, I have to say, it's an honour for me.
"But I looked at Pepe last night, he's 41 years old and plays for Portugal. So, they're at the level that people are setting now, people like Luka Modric.
"These guys have been playing for the top teams for quite some time. If they can do it, why can't I? ”
The 2026 World Cups in Mexico, Canada, and the United States are Walker's realistic goals.
By the time of the final, he had just turned 36 and he had not set a timetable for when he would retire, Pepe had already represented Portugal in a victory over the Czech Republic, becoming the oldest player in the history of the European Championship.
"How long is a rope?" Asked how long he would like to continue to represent England, Walker said.
'I think as long as you do well for the club and then get into the England team, I'm competitive. I still feel great.
"A lot of people do talk about my age, but age is just a number for me. I still feel agile, I still feel strong, I still feel young. Even at my age, I still want to learn.
"I feel like the competition has been adapting and as the youngsters have come in and they've shown me different things and different techniques that I can learn, I think every day is a learning day, whether you're 34 like me or 19 like Kobbie (Mainoo)."
Luka Modric was Walker's team-mate at Tottenham Hotspur when the Englishman also played alongside Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the group stage against Finland in Copenhagen and the game was suspended until later in the evening.
After the defibrillator was installed, Eriksen returned to the Brentford football team.
Now, Eriksen's story has come back to square one with the arrival of Manchester United, who scored the only goal for Denmark in their opening game against Slovenia last week.
On Thursday, Eriksen will face a number of familiar faces at Eintracht Frankfurt, including Walker, who played together at White Hart Lane between 2013 and 2017.
'He's fantastic, it's proof of him,' Walker said of Eriksen's comeback.
'Obviously, we're both playing for different clubs in Manchester and we do bump into each other from time to time and have a chat.
"But in terms of what he did and achieved after that tragic event, it just shows what kind of person he is and what he really has.
'I played with Christian Eriksen at Tottenham for a couple of years and sometimes he can do wonders in an instant.