End of an era: Former Ajax and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen confirms he will retire at the end of the season | OneFootball

The end of the 2024/2025 season will see two legends of Belgian football hang up their boots. We have known for some time that Antwerp’s Toby Alderweireld will retire, but it has now been confirmed that his teammate at international and club level in the past, Jan Vertonghen, is also set to hang up his boots. Anderlecht made the announcement this morning, with Vertonghen having recovered from an injury and set to feature in the play-offs.

It will bring to an end a fantastic career for the defender, who was a key part of the Golden Generation of Belgian football. The now 37-year0old began his career in the Netherlands with Ajax, where he played 176 times before joining Tottenham in 2012. At Spurs, he was ever present for the next eight years. He finally left Tottenham in the summer of 2020 having played 315 times for the club. After a brief spell in Portugal with Benfica he finally moved to Belgium for the first time in his career. Vertonghen has played 77 games for Anderlecht and will look to end his career on a high. His final game is likely to be the Belgian cup final on the 4th of May. It would be a fitting way for him to bow out, lifting Anderlecht’s first trophy since 2017.

At the international level, Vertonghen played in multiple World Cups and Euro’s for the Red Devils. He retired having played 157 times for his country, a national record in terms of appearances.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson