Having been right in the mix of Wales' golden generation in Euro 2016, Joe Ledley is happy he gets to sit back and watch his pals these days from the relative sanctuary of his holiday pad in Turkey.
Wales face their most important game in decades this weekend, with the small matter of Sunday's World Cup play-off final against either Scotland or Ukraine rapidly approaching. The Welsh public, Ledley included, wait with bated breath for the outcome of that one at Cardiff City Stadium.
Ledley, a 77-cap international, hung up his boots officially in November, but of course has a vested interest in the fortunes of his old pals, who rose through the ranks with him through the youth squads and are just 90 minutes away from booking Wales a place at the Qatar World Cup later this year.
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"It's one of the best opportunities Wales has ever had," Ledley tells WalesOnline. "It's the icing on the cake, Chris Gunter coming to the end. Gareth Bale, Wayne Hennessey is 35, Aaron Ramsey, it would be a great send-off for them whatever they end up doing, retire or whatever. But you can't just rely on these players. At the end of the day it's all about these young kids coming through and pushing.
"They've been fantastic.. Especially with the pressure of Euro 2016 and getting another Euro campaign under their belt, it's a pleasure to watch them. Wales was a big part of my career and a lot of the other boys. Fair play to them, they have stepped up. I'm just glad I'm away! I'll be nervous but I'll be watching."
Bale, of course, is at the forefront of everyone's minds at the minute. He just secured a fifth Champions League winners' medal with Real Madrid ahead of a huge celebration in the the Spanish capital, a fitting swansong for a fantastic player, who is bowing out after nine years at the Bernabeu.
The question now is; where does he go next? Well, Ledley is one of Bale's close friends, having played the lion's share of his Wales career alongside him, and there is no doubting he thinks that any top Premier League team would be fortunate to have him.
"We saw with his last Wales game what he can produce," he adds. "For me, he can still play in the Premier League. He is a Premier League player without a shadow of doubt."
But it would be remiss not to bring up the rumours circling around Bale's return to his hometown of Cardiff, a place which acted as a launchpad for Ledley's own career. While cynics might be quick to rule out Bale dropping to English football's second tier, Ledley warns against doing that. He says, in fact, that on paper it all makes sense and Bale could emulate the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy in recent times.
"It would be great to have him back. It would be an unbelievable signing for Cardiff," he says of Bale. "If you look over the years with Ramsey coming back on loan, Craig Bellamy coming back as well. If he did, they would be a very lucky club to have someone of his calibre in the team, because he is one of the world's greatest players.
"It's a no-brainer. You can see it all on paper with his family and his friends here, a nation that he loves, where he was born. It would be fantastic.
"It's not as easy as that sometimes, though. Like I said, no disrespect, but I think he is a Premier League player. But it is down to him at the end of the day. There is no pressure on him. With these games he will have a lot of time to think, he won't have to rush into anything. It's down to him at the end of the day, what he wants to do. I'm sure he'll make the right decision."
Being a proud Cardiff boy, it might be in Ledley's interest to get Bale back to the Welsh capital. "I want some compensation for getting the move done!" he laughs.
But when asked if he had given him a nudge over forcing through a move to the Bluebirds over WhatsApp, Ledley says: "I have just wished him the best of luck for the final - not like he needs it, he always comes out on top form for Wales.
"Once these Wales games are done, hopefully I'll meet up with him and play some golf and see what he wants to do next. He has plenty of time to sit down and think what's important for him and his family, because he's got young children as well.
"When you get older it's difficult because you get these one-year deals here and there and you don't want to keep taking the family here and there. We'll see what he does, but it would be great to see him at Cardiff."
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Ledley is happy to keep his hand in when it comes to football. He officially announced his retirement seven months ago, having been without a club since leaving Newport County last June. He doesn't miss playing the game anymore, he says, and has been fortunate enough to have a good support network around him to help him transition out of professional football.
Others have not been so lucky and struggle to come to terms with life after the floodlights dim.
"It's difficult," he adds. "If anyone asks me, I don't really miss playing football. I retired because my body can't do it anymore, that's the only reason. I found it difficult with injuries and hip problems to be at the level I always wanted to be at.
"I am very grateful I have a fantastic family behind me and great friends, which makes life a lot easier.
"But you've got to look at the PFA, I've had no contact from them. You dedicate most of your life to football and you get no contact from them. Not even a phone call to see how you are or what the next steps are. You've got to look at organisations like that, they need to work harder for people who do retire.
"Even just a phone call, an email. Just contact players. Like I said, I'm lucky that I have great family and friends behind me. But just a call to see how you are and see what the future holds - or whether they can help you with the next steps and other things."
Ledley, still only 35, has had to use his own initiative to forge his next steps after confirming his retirement. Having shone for Cardiff, Celtic and Crystal Palace before later moves to Derby County, Charlton Athletic, Newport and even Newcastle Jets in Australia, he has enjoyed making tentative steps into commentary and punditry.
He enjoys covering Cardiff City games for the BBC and is doing it with far more regularity, but it is another project he has just launched which really excites him.
The Joe Ledley Football Academy has recently launched in time for the summer and it has been a passion project for the former midfielder, who wants to ensure that Welsh kids get the same opportunities in football as children all over the country have access to.
"I've been away from Wales for over 10 years. I've been to London and I've seen the opportunities the kids have there. I've been to Glasgow, Derby. I just feel like Wales are a little bit behind," he says.
"I think it's just an opportunity to have as big an input as possible to give young girls and boys a chance to play football and enjoy it. If we can help someone in the long term, to better their careers, that's the aim.
"I've met a guy called James who works for Premier Sports. He has been working in schools for 20 years and I met him at Derby and we become close friends. It's an opportunity to do well for young kids.
"When I was growing up I'd struggle to get goalposts, we just used to put jumpers down. It has gone a lot better since my time, but if you go to local areas, you are still struggling to get goalposts."
Ledley, with the help of head of coaching James Jennison who he met while playing at Derby, does not want to let the production line stop. He has set up a number of six to seven-week courses at different centres across south Wales and hopes this is the first tentative steps towards establishing his football academy more permanently across the region.
"We have to take full advantage of this," Ledley says of the rise of football in this country. "We have always been a nation that has behind rugby and you can see now that slowly but surely, football is starting to overtake. Not just at international level, but Swansea and Cardiff at Championship level, Wrexham with new owners, it's an exciting time.
"We need to take advantage of these young kids coming through, if not to be professional then just to be active. It's just about making sure kids enjoy playing football and being active, because the other route is just sitting at home on the computer!"
For more information or to book on to one of the courses, visit the Joe Ledley Football Academy
