With seven European Cup winners' medals between them, AC Milan's Paolo Maldini and Clarence Seedorf could be excused a degree of nonchalance ahead of Wednesday's Champions League final with Liverpool.
The game at the Ataturk Olympic stadium will be captain Maldini's seventh final while Dutch midfielder Seedorf has won the top club trophy in the European game three times -- each with a different side.
Yet the pair insist they are as desperate as ever for success.
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"I'm still hungry despite winning all those Cups," Seedorf told a news conference on Tuesday. "Winning in the past is no guarantee that you will win again."
Seedorf picked up titles with Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid before his success with Milan against Juventus two years ago.
"The fact that I am here in a fourth final is fantastic and I'm not tired of it yet. It would be even nicer to win a fourth time," said Seedorf.
The 29-year-old is part of a vastly experienced Milan side. While such familiarity with finals can help in high tension occasions, he denies the higher average age of the Milan side will count against them.
"Just look at Paolo," said Seedorf, "I don't think he seems very old. Experience is important but you need to be able to show your experience on the field."
Maldini is hoping for a fifth winner's medal which would leave him one behind former Real Madrid player Francisco Gento's record and bring him level with former Real players Jose Marian Zarraga and Alfredo Di Stefano.
His first medal came after the 1989 defeat of Steaua Bucharest and he was captain of the team for the 2003 triumph over Juventus.
"Those successes have in common the fact that I was an ambitious player who had found an ambitious club. Playing in seven finals in 16 years reflects on that ambition," said Maldini who will be 37 next month.
"Experience at this level is absolutely important but I don't consider that Liverpool are inexperienced. They have a great tradition and have won Cups at home and in Europe in recent years.
"Liverpool have a tradition both in terms of the past and more recent years. But it certainly counts for something that in these years we have always been around at the end of this competition," said the Milan captain.
