Steve Harper had Shay Given blocking his route to the first-team for years, and who knows, with England still looking for a goalkeeper he could have been heading to South Africa in the summer had he left Newcastle for regular football.
And Tim Krul is in the very same position.
Holland are currently higher than England in the world rankings, and their coach tips Krul to be the next regular goalkeeper in his team.
The highly-rated goalkeeper has long been linked with moves away from St James's Park, and he is certain to attract interest in this month's transfer window.
Tim Krul: "For me, Newcastle is still one of the best clubs in England, and I am committed.
"I couldn't do anything better than to play in front of 40,000-odd people every week. I just enjoy it massively when I come on, and I just hope I can play more.
"Steve Harper and me keep each other sharp, and we'll see what happens."
"It was really useful (being loaned to Falkirk and Carlisle), especially when I went to Falkirk, as I was only 18.
"It was really good, and it's paying off now. You don't get really nervous any more, you just enjoy it. I'm here to take everything I can, and, hopefully, I can get some minutes.
"I think it'll be a long season. We'll need everybody – the whole team – because there's 46 league games, and we'll see what happens."