After Real Madrid hoisted their 15th European Cup on Saturday at Wembley, the club's veterans had one key piece of advice for 20-year-old first-timer Jude Bellingham. "Some of my team-mates have five or six titles, and they said enjoy your first as it's a feeling like no other when you reach the top of the mountain," he said following Los Blancos' 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
It was certainly a memorable final. Madrid, as is the case so often in the Champions League, were second best for long stretches. But they rode their luck, and after a handful of crucial saves from Thibaut Courtois and the fortune of Niclas Fullkrug hitting the post, they came alive. It took a corner, converted by the 5'7 Dani Carvajal, to help them find their stride, and Madrid saw out the last 20 minutes as Vinicius Jr provided the finishing touch.
Yet, despite the Dortmund pressure and the lack of quality from an often erratic Madrid side, there was something all so predictable about the outcome. Real Madrid win; it's just what they do.
They have now claimed six Champions League titles across the last 10 years - only three other clubs (AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Liverpool) can claim to have won as many European Cups in their entire history. This is what sporting dominance looks like.
The concern for their rivals is that there are few signs that Los Blancos' run will stop any time soon either. What was supposed to be a period of rebuilding has become a measured renewal. Madrid's best players are all in their prime - or slightly short of it - and with arguably the most electric forward in world football soon to enter the ranks while other clubs enter transitions of their own, Saturday's win may well go down as the start of another decade of continental superiority at Santiago Bernabeu.