Gerard Pique has been around the block enough times to ensure any young player should hang on to every word of advice the four-time Champions League winner provides.
As the Barcelona veteran turns 35, coincidentally the same amount of major honours, Pique has offered some words of wisdom for Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland.
Speaking on Twitch via Football Espana, the Spanish World Cup winner said: "If I were Haaland and I wanted to win the Ballon d’Or, I wouldn’t go to the same team as Kylian Mbappe."
Many may interpret Pique's words as simply meaning if Haaland were to end up on the same side as Mbappe, the two superstars in their own right may not give enough room for the other to continue to grow.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Do Pique's comments represent fear? Comment below
However, there is every chance Pique offered up that advice with his own club matters at heart, given Mbappe is reportedly on the cusp of a move to Barcelona's most fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The prospect of having to defend against a strike force that contains both Haaland and Mbappe is a terrifying one, even for a defender of Pique's experience.
It also represents a stark demise from Barcelona's perspective, a club that has done battle with Los Blancos for the entirety of its existence and rarely shown fear.
Even the former 'Galactico' Real Madrid sides that contained star-studded names such as Ronaldo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane rarely had their Catalan counterparts worried.
Yet this Barcelona side, spearheaded by Pique's former teammate Xavi Hernandez as manager are at a vulnerable stage in their modern history.
Midway through their first season without club icon Lionel Messi after the financial landscape at Barcelona meant they were unable to keep the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, Barcelona have looked way off the pace this term.
The Blaugrana were also dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in 21 years, though the majority of that damage was done by Xavi's predecessor Ronald Koeman.
Barcelona have gone some way to strengthening the side they started the season with via the January transfer window.
Adama Traore, Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all arrived at the Camp Nou over the course of the last month, as has Dani Alves for a second stint as a Barcelona player.
While all of those players have something to contribute, the quality of the additions is undeniably weaker than the calibre of players currently being linked with Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid.
With four months of the season left to play, Barcelona's title hopes are all but over as they sit a staggering 15 points behind Los Blancos while languishing as low as fifth.
Sunday's upcoming home clash with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid could prove pivotal in Barcelona's hopes for Champions League qualification - a steep decline from the days of title tilts.
