While footballers usually hit their prime at this age, Singapore defender Ismail Yunos, 29, almost retired after he was released by Tampines Rovers last month.
A veteran who has two ASEAN titles to his name in 18 appearances for Singapore, the versatile defender decided to walk away from the game, until Warriors FC -- the club where he won his first league title two years ago -- came calling.
"To be honest, I already made up my mind to retire from the game," Ismail told ESPN FC. "Having achieved my chemical oil and gas certification this year, I had a job offer to work offshore and it came right after Tampines released all of us.
"I was in the midst of confirming my retirement from football, only to receive a sudden phone call from Warriors who wanted to meet me. After a two-hour meeting with the club management, they convinced me not to retire and keep going.
"I thought long and hard about it and I couldn't lie to myself that I still loved the game, and to have a chance to join the club where I won the title and have lots of good memories with, I accepted the offer."
Having agreed to re-join the Western giants at Choa Chu Kang Stadium next season, Ismail reckons the introduction of LionsXII players into the S.League will boost the standard of the domestic game, but is even more concerned that a huge number of players his age, are forced to retire without a club.
This worry is close to his heart, because, had Warriors not made the call in time, Ismail would be staring down the same dark path as some of his close football buddies.
"They [LionsXII] are national team players and many people look up to them. It's good to have them back in the S.League but at the same time, we are going to lose a lot of great players who have to retire, due to the lack of space and budget within clubs," Ismail said.
"Those same players that have left the game or will be forced to give up at the end of the year are the ones who helped lift this league in the past few years and it was their efforts that gave younger ones like me today the chance to play professional football. It will be sad that they are no longer around."
Household names like former Geylang International midfielder Ridhuan Muhd and Tampines Rovers star Jamil Ali still face uncertain futures, despite having contributed and won many domestic titles for their clubs in the past decade.
"There are a lot of these players but I'm unsure if they've been approached by any clubs. But just a few weeks back, players like Ridhuan Muhd, Jamil Ali, Noh Alam Shah and Tengku Mushadad were still without clubs.
"As a whole, all six local teams released close to 90% of their playing rosters, and it is sad that things are happening this way. It shows that there is no guarantee even if you play well or work hard, you will get a contract for the next season."
Despite the gloom hanging over many of his former teammates' heads, Ismail is relishing the opportunity to have another go at winning a second league title, and bring success to one of the most successful local teams in the S.League's 20-year history.
"I decided not to hang up my boots because I want to win the championship again. With Warriors, that is all I have in mind at the moment," Ismail said.
"Of course, the fans will play a huge part too. The support and faith shown to me will carry me through the season. Football is not as glamorous as it seems. Nobody sees the amount of effort and the struggles we players and clubs go through, before we can dream of success."
With a record nine league titles in a glistening trophy cabinet, Warriors are dreaming of a tenth league championship, but most importantly, the vision for the league in 2016 is similar to that of Ismail's personal goal, to make Singaporeans "fall in love with football all over again."