Vincent Kompany has hinted he would like to stay beyond his Manchester City contract, which expires at the end of the season.
The captain, 32, celebrated 10 years at the club this week and is the only first team player to have joined before owner Sheikh Mansour took over in September 2008.
Kompany has been troubled by persistent injuries in recent seasons but insists he is getting better as a player.
“I think what people have never really understood with me is that aside from having had some injuries I’m actually really lucky to be a really good athlete naturally so I still feel mobile, I still feel strong, that I’m improving and I’m learning so much more about the game,” he said.
“I’m not stressed or nervous about any possible scenario because I’ve prepared for every eventuality.
“I’m enjoying the game more than I’ve probably ever enjoyed the game. Probably my first year at City and this last year now have been the best in my career so you want to make it last as long as you can, for sure.”
Kompany was signed by Mark Hughes but the club has changed drastically during his time at the Etihad. The skipper lifted City’s first trophy for 35 years when they won the FA Cup in 2011 and seven years on, won his third Premier League title in their record-breaking 100-point season.
“Every club you sign for they give you the same pitch: ‘We’ve got a big project, big ambitions, we want to achieve this and that, we want to kick on,’ and I just happen to be lucky that City was the one club that didn’t lie about it,” he said.
“When City came calling I researched the club, but when I first came through the door it was weird, it was a big club but at the same time a small club.
“A big club because of the history, the fanbase, the stadium, and small because of the state of the facilities where we were training, the culture a little bit towards winning, and the lack of pressure there was.”