Not every top-flight footballer has the foresight to think about what they will do after their playing career is over.
Financially, the top players do not need to worry, so credit to Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol and Sergio Ramos for enrolling on a course on how to become a sporting director of a football club.
Unlike in England where the manager chooses which players will be bought, the sporting director identifies new talent in Spain and then works alongside his president and coach to make an offer to sign the player.
It is a vital role and successful sporting directors are both lauded and high profile. Jorge Valdano was so prominent at Real Madrid last season that Jose Mourinho did not approve.
There was only going to be one winner there and the Argentine was forced out.
Barcelona's Andoni Zubizarreta works closely with Pep Guardiola, just as Txiki Beguiristain did before he departed along with the outgoing president Joan Laporta last year.
Much of Sevilla's success in the late 2000s was attributed to Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, or "Monchi", who identified unknown talents such as Daniel Alves, Luis Fabiano, Seydou Keita and Sergio Baptista.
He built an extensive global scouting network which fed into Sevilla's youth system and the end product saw the club enjoying the greatest spell in their history as they won successive Uefa Cups and the European Super Cup.
They also profited greatly from the sale of their stars such as Alves and Keita to Barca.
"Monchi" is now part of Malaga's Qatari revolution and blessed with far more resources than he ever had at Sevilla. A good sporting director is intelligent and media friendly. He will have extensive contacts who he can trust to be discreet, an essential element for success in this business.
The Real players cannot be faulted for thinking about the future, but one wonders how Ramos will fare.
He said earlier in the year ahead of Spain's Euro 2012 qualifier against Lithuania that the Lithuanians should not be taken lightly for they had several international players in their squad.
Make that 11 internationals, plus the subs, Sergio.
