It’s a career that has seen Thomas Vermaelen play for some of the world’s most illustrious clubs.
Ajax, Arsenal, Barcelona and Roma: few players in world football who hold a CV as impressive as the Belgian centre-half.
However, this summer Vermaelen opted for a change of scenery. At 34, he felt the time was right to look beyond Europe in search of something different.
With his contract up at Barcelona, there were several options on the table and he decided that a move to Vissel Kobe in Japan was the most appealing.
It was an opportunity to link up once again with former Barcelona team-mates Andreas Iniesta and Sergi Samper, as well as Lukas Podolski, whom he played with during his time at Arsenal.
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And now, five months into his stay in Japan, there are no regrets.
“I feel very good about the country; the adaptation has gone very well,” Vermaelen told Goal during an exclusive interview.
“All the people are very helpful, so I think it is easy to adapt to the club and the life here. I know a few players, so that makes it easier too.
“When Andreas came here I said, 'That’s a very nice move, going to Japan where there’s a lot of culture. It’s a nice country.’ For me, that was a big part of my decision too. There is a big tradition here, a lot of culture.”
Vermaelen admits this move may well prove to be the last of a professional career that started 15 years ago in Amsterdam when he made his senior debut for Ajax in 2004.
He would go on to captain the Dutch giants before eventually leaving for Arsenal in 2009.
A five-year stint in north London followed, with Arsene Wenger handing the defender the Arsenal captaincy in 2012, after Robin van Persie’s switch to Manchester United.
Vermaelen was a popular figure at Emirates Stadium. He scored 15 goals during 150 appearances, but injuries marred his final seasons in the Premier League.
Arsenal sold him to Barcelona in 2014 and he stayed at the Camp Nou for five years, although he spent the 2016-17 campaign on loan at Roma.
The trophies flowed during his time in Spain, with Vermaelen winning four Liga titles and lifting the Copa del Rey twice. But again, injuries limited his game time before his move to Japan earlier this year.
“It’s true that I had some problems in the past,” the Belgian international said of his fitness struggles.
“How do you face it? You just get on with it and try to overcome every problem because I knew that when I was fit, I could still play.
“I still felt good when I didn’t have any problems, so that’s the reason I kept going to overcome these problems.”
Despite the long list of injuries Vermaelen suffered during his time at Barcelona, he will always cherish the time he spent at the Camp Nou playing alongside Lionel Messi.
“I’m very happy that I could play with one of the best there’s ever been,” he says. “He made me a better player.
“It was an unbelievable experience. He eventually becomes one of your team-mates, but at the beginning he’s a big star.
“During my years there, sometimes I was still surprised by some things he did in training and in games. It was just a nice experience to see these things; what he can do with the ball.”
Now settled in Japan, Vermaelen has made 10 appearances for Kobe, who finished eighth in the J-League after a largely disappointing campaign.
They are in the Emperor's Cup semi-finals, however, where they will face Shimizu S-Pulse later on December 21.
Vermaelen has adapted well to life in a new country but he is still living on his own, with his wife and two sons due to join him soon.
So, he has spent most of his time immersing himself in football and getting to know his new team-mates.
“Kobe is a nice city but my family is not here yet,” he said. “It’s not like I’ve been visiting so many places. Firstly, it’s been about adapting to the team and then I will explore more outside.
“The club has helped very well and it’s been very easy to adapt outside football. That’s very important for your mind because you can focus and concentrate on your job.
“It’s made it easier for me to adapt and that’s made easy for me to play my football.”
Vermaelen added: “The J-League is a good league and a very attractive league. The teams want to play with ideas and there are good players, technical and quick players. The level is good in Japan. Of course, there are always things you can improve but I’m quite surprised how good the league is and quite positive.”
Although he may now be away from Europe, Vermaelen still keeps on top of how things are going back at his former clubs, with Arsenal never far from his mind.
It may be five years now since he ended his stay with the Gunners, but he still looks back at his spell in north London with fondness and will never forget the role Wenger has played in his career.
“He [Wenger] choose me to be captain because of the player and person I am,” said Vermaelen. “I didn’t do anything special. I just stayed who I was in the dressing room and on the pitch.
“I can understand why he was seen as a father figure because in my time and even before, he tended to bring very young, talented players – sometimes unknown players – and gave them the chance.
“He gave them an opportunity to play for a big club and made them grow. He had a very good eye for talent he always had a confidence in young players.
“For a lot of players and for me personally, he was very important because he gave me a chance to play in the Premier League on a big platform.”
Vermaelen still does his best to keep up with how Arsenal are getting on and watches their games when he can, admitting his former club is going through a "difficult time".
But he can’t spend too much time focusing on events in the Premier League.
He has two-and-a-half years left of what he expects to be his final contract as a player and his focus has to be on finishing the season with Kobe before turning his attention to the small matter of this summer’s European Championship.
Belgium, currently the top-ranked national side in world football, won their qualifying group and will start the tournament as favourites alongside world champions France.
It could be Vermaelen’s final competition for his country and, after the heartbreak of losing to les Bleus in the semi-finals at Russia 2018, he is desperate to end his international career on a high.
“At my age, it’s very important to go to the Euros,” he said. “I’m very excited to go there.
“The team is doing so well. We have been together for a long time and we know each other very well.
“We are ranked No.1 in the world, it makes you proud to be in that that team.”
Additional reporting by Tasuku Okawa