> if at some point they request you to provide the code they sent to the phone you don't have for the last 10 years
AFAIK once 2FA is up, you can remove your phone number from GMail.
I know it takes time to set up a recovery account (in case the account is inactive for x months), to remove a phone number, etc. but if one's GMail is important it could be worth doing both now if it hasn't already been done.
Oh, and no, recovery email account is useless. Its been set since the inception and there's not way to use it to regain control over the account.
It's a deliberate misnoner.
You will eventually be forced to re-add it at some point.
The point is (it's not my account) that unless you religiously update the phone number in all your accounts you will at some point lose access to some of them despite being able to prove with all the other details it's you who created and used them.
Just because.
Because phone number is a very valuable identifier for the ad company.