This Thursday was the 15th anniversary of Fernando Llorente's debut with Atletico Bilbao's first team. Since then, his success across Europe has meant that, at almost 35, he is still a part of Europe's elite.
Fernando Llorente's future is still up for grabs, but in the meantime, the striker is continuing to do what he does best: use his playing time in Napoli to score goals.
Rumours of a possible return to Tottenham are growing, especially given Harry Kane's serious injury. But Llorente is comfortable in Naples, which means there is no clear departure in sight.
15 years after his professional debut, he has proven to be an indispensable asset for all the teams he's played for. At almost 35 years of age (he turns 35 on 26 February), Llorente is experiencing a second spring in his career.
It all started on 16 January 2005, when Llorente made his debut against Espanyol in what was then Ernesto Valverde's Atletico Bilbao. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but the player already showed a lot of promise, almost scoring a few times.
Fittingly, Llorente's name has also come up briefly as a possible reinforcement for Atletico, but a return from the prodigal son would be far too expensive for the Basque team.