It's not just New Year's Days or the first grey hair that remind you that you're getting that bit older.
The retirement of big name players from yesteryear can also have the same effect, as does news that footballers that you remember so vividly as players go into management.
In the case of former Leeds United and Manchester United striker Alan Smith, the latter is now a temporary pursuit until his current club Notts County find a full time manager.
At 36, he has been a player coach but for those transfixed by football in the 1990s or 2000s, he is a player who feels quite recent yet whose heyday is much further back than you remember at first.
He was part of a dynamic young Leeds United team which shone brightly for a brief period around the turn of the Millennium under David O'Leary before financial problems put an end to the dream.
In 2000-01 they famously reached the Champions League semi-finalists, only to lose 3-0 on aggregate to Valencia, who are going through their own troubles at present, a little over a decade from when the Spanish side reached consecutive Champions League finals and went on to win La Liga.
Back in May 2001, Leeds held Valencia to a 0-0 draw in the first leg. Smith was in the starting lineup.
But what are the members of the starting XI for that first leg up to these days?
Nigel Marytn
The former England goalkeeper made over 200 league appearances for Leeds. He eventually went into coaching at Bradford City in 2007 in the caretaker backroom team of ex-Leeds team-mate and former Bradford defender David Wetherall.
That role was just temporarily helping out a former colleague and as recently as 2013, the Croydon Advertiser had a chat with him where he explained that he has done some media work here and there, spent time with his family and even dabbled in playing cricket.
Danny Mills
The former England international right back is no stranger to our screens, regularly appearing on BBC's Match of the Day.
Rio Ferdinand
He left for Manchester United in a deal worth about £30 million, going on to even greater success. He is now part of BT Sports' football coverage and also ventured into business including #5 magazine.
Dominic Matteo
In his 2011 autobiography, he revealed that he had run up enormous gambling debts. He was later declared bankrupt in 2015.
Ian Harte
Ian Harte
A member of Ireland's 2002 World Cup squad, the set piece specialist only retired as a player in 2015 after being released by Bournemouth at the age of 38.
In an interview with Off The Ball on Newstalk, the Drogheda born left back talked about the next chapter of his life in which he said coaching was not among his ambitions, but that he would work closely with his agent when it comes to giving young players a guiding hand and advice.
Lee Bowyer
A keen fisherman, the midfielder who was involved in occasional controversies during his career, eventually re-involved himself in football as a guest coach at Watford's under-21s alongside ex-team-mate Harry Kewell in 2015.
Olivier Dacourt
The French midfielder would later move to Serie A where he would play with AS Roma and Inter Milan. He finished his career in Belgium with Standard Liege in 2010.
Last summer, he linked up with TV channel Canal+ as a pundit. He has also been a consultant with the nascent Indian Super League (ISL) in recent times.
David Batty of Leeds United tackles Sam Dalla Bona of Chelsea ©INPHO/Allsport
David Batty
Not one often in the media spotlight, he is often remembered for the penalty shootout miss against Argentina while on England duty at the 1998 World Cup.
That unfairly overshadows a career as a tough and dependable Premier League-winning midfielder.
He hasn't been involved much with football - nor does he watch it much by his own admission - since retiring as a player but does keep an eye on Leeds' results and was involved in the club's ticket launch campaign for last season.
Harry Kewell
Talented but increasingly beset by injuries later in his career, the Australian winger retired at Melbourne Heart in 2014 and has since gone into coaching at Watford, where he manages the under-21 side.
Alan Smith
The Leeds youth graduate has been in the news at the start of January 2017 as he takes on the caretaker manager reins at Notts County.
Mark Viduka
The ex-Australia, Celtic and Middlesbrough striker retired at Newcastle in 2009. He now lives in hometown Melbourne and coaches at local club Melbourne Knights.
And as a little bonus, here's our November 2014 chat on Newstalk's Team 33, with Tony Yeboah who pre-dated the Leeds Champions League team by a couple of years:
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
