Jermain Defoe credits "clean living" and his mother's advice for keeping him in the hunt for a World Cup place at the age of 35.
The Bournemouth striker celebrated his birthday on Saturday and is hoping to mark the occasion with a 58th England cap in Lithuania.
Many of his contemporaries are either retired, winding down or firmly out of the international picture. Wayne Rooney, four years Defoe's junior, recently called time on his distinguished Three Lions career.
Defoe is fast becoming a mentor figure in Gareth Southgate's youthful squad but insists he is more than able to keep up on the pitch as he looks to make amends for his omission from the 2014 tournament in Brazil.