belgian association football musician

Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen ( born 24 April 1987 ) is a belgian professional football player who plays for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Belgium national team. chiefly a central defender, he can besides play as a left-back. Vertonghen began his elder career at Dutch cabaret Ajax in 2006 and totalled 220 games and 28 goals for them across all competitions, serving as their master from 2011 to 2012. He won two Eredivisie and two KNVB Cup titles during his time at the club, and in 2012 he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Vertonghen transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2012, and made the PFA Team of the year in his inaugural Premier League season. He made 315 appearances for Spurs over eight years, and won their player of the year award in 2018.

Vertonghen made his international debut for Belgium in 2007 and his 136 caps ( including three unofficial games, according to FIFA rules ) are the most in the history of the national team. He was part of belgian squads that came fourth at the 2008 Olympics, reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and Euro 2020, and finished in third base place at the 2018 World Cup .

early life [edit ]

Vertonghen was born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, to Ria Mattheeuws and Paul Vertonghen. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] He has two brothers, Ward and Lode ; both have played football. [ 4 ]

Club career [edit ]

ajax [edit ]

Vertonghen ( properly ) playing for Ajax in 2010 After outgo time at VK Tielrode and Germinal Beerschot, Vertonghen moved to the Netherlands and signed a compress with the youth academy of Eredivisie side AFC Ajax. He began as a midfielder but then became a unconstipated at centre-back for Ajax. [ 6 ] During his time in the reserves, he became known for an incident in a 2006 KNVB Cup bet on against Cambuur Leeuwarden, his first home game at the Amsterdam Arena, where he scored a goal to put Ajax 3–0 astir. He had attempted a back pass to the Cambuur goalkeeper while a teammate was receiving treatment but rather the testis went into the goal. Since it was unintentional, Ajax allowed Cambuur to score a finish in recurrence. [ 7 ] On 23 August 2006, Vertonghen made his first team debut in the Champions League third base qualifying round against Copenhagen. He made his first starting signal and Eredivisie debut in a 6–0 winnings over Willem II at the Amsterdam Arena and would play another two matches for the first base half of the season .

loan to RKC [edit ]

After the winter crack of the 2006–07 season, he was sent on lend to struggling RKC Waalwijk for the remainder of the season. At RKC, he would play 12 matches in which he scored three times, but he was unable to help the team debar relegation to the Eerste Divisie. One of his goals with RKC Waalwijk was against his parent baseball club, Ajax, in a 2–2 draw, which finally let Ajax finish second gear in the league on only one goal dispute with PSV. [ 8 ]

Breakthrough at Ajax [edit ]

Vertonghen with Ajax in 2011 Vertonghen returned to Ajax for the 2007–08 season, where he was tipped for stardom, but was unable to break through due to a severe injury and the presence of cardinal defenders John Heitinga and Thomas Vermaelen. Johan Cruyff had made no unavowed of his admiration for the left-footed child who can handle any left-sided side in refutation and midfield, opting, on 26 September 2008, to extend his narrow to 30 June 2013. The 2008–09 season was a breakthrough season for the young defender. After John Heitinga left for Atlético Madrid, Vertonghen became Thomas Vermaelen ‘s first-choice partner in central defense ; the former started 23 of the 26 games he played in and scored four goals. On 28 September, he scored a rare double against Vitesse in a 3–0 win. Although sustaining an wound from training during the week, he played in the match against Groningen on 24 January, billed as a “ must-win ” match by coach Marco vanguard Basten ; [ 9 ] Vertonghen was unfortunate enough to be sent off for two yellow cards as Ajax lost 1–0. He was out for a month after sustaining a hamstring injury in an away win on 1 March against Utrecht, but his return lasted only several games after his temper was prematurely ended after aggravating another injury .

Rising importance under Jol [edit ]

Under raw coach Martin Jol, Vertonghen retained his station in the starting line-up for the 2009–10 season. Despite injuring his toe while on international duty against Spain the previous workweek, he scored his first finish of the season, a free gripe, in a 6–0 thrash of NAC Breda on 13 September. [ 10 ] With the passing of Thomas Vermaelen to Arsenal, he and companion Belgian Toby Alderweireld become the first choice centre-back pair and soon became a firm fans ‘ darling. [ 11 ] Despite Ajax ‘s erratic phase in the latter weeks leading up to the winter bankrupt, he turned in some potent performances and attracted the matter to of a count of clubs, including Barcelona, but he played down the rumor, stating his intent to at least see out his narrow with Ajax. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] After the winter break in, Ajax went on a nine-game unbeaten streak in the league, with Vertonghen playing a key role. Their run of six straight clean sheets was ended in a 4–1 home plate win over PSV when the visiting side were awarded a penalty. Vertonghen was linked with a move to Newcastle United, and late he was besides linked with Milan, state, “ I ‘ve heard Milan Director Adriano Galliani talk about me after the Champions League pit in San Siro and his words were very flattering. ” [ 14 ] Vertonghen stated on numerous occasions late in the 2010–11 season that he was considering leaving Ajax at the goal of that season. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] In May 2011, Frank de Boer confirmed Manchester City emboss Roberto Mancini was deliver at the 2011 KNVB Cup Final held on 7 May 2011, where Vertonghen ‘s slope lost 3–2 to Twente. [ 17 ] Mancini was reportedly scouting Vertonghen to strengthen his side after they had qualified for the UEFA Champions League 2011–12 campaign. [ 18 ]

Breakthrough under De Boer [edit ]

Vertonghen ( top right ) captaining Ajax in 2011 During the 2011–12 Eredivisie season, Vertonghen emerged as one of Ajax ‘s best players, demonstrating his versatility to cover multiple positions after Ajax had let respective regular players out on long-run loans. After an impressive season, including a performance for which he was singled out for praise against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, he was named the 2011–12 Eredivisie Player of the Year. Named team captain by Frank de Boer, he led his Ajax to their irregular title in a quarrel, scoring eight goals in 31 league games, highlighting his attacking strengths. besides, for the moment time, he dropped the Championship plate. “ immediately it falls on my toe – this plate equitable does not like me, ” Vertonghen said. [ 19 ]

Tottenham Hotspur [edit ]

2012–13 season [edit ]

Throughout the 2011–12 temper, Vertonghen was linked with English cabaret Tottenham Hotspur and publicly expressed his hope to make the move to White Hart Lane ahead of numerous early teams. A key agent in this was his hope to play as a centre-back, with Arsenal wanting to use him as a defensive midfielder. On 8 July 2012, Tottenham agreed a tip and terms for Vertonghen subjugate to a checkup. On 12 July, Tottenham announced that they had formally completed the sign language of Vertonghen, for an amount about 12 million Euros, after he successfully completed his aesculapian. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] Vertonghen took separate in his first game as a Tottenham player in a 3–2 friendly acquire against Brentford on 14 July, then late scored his first goal for the clubhouse on 26 September in a 3–0 winnings against Carlisle United in the third round of the Football League Cup. [ 22 ] Vertonghen scored his first Premier League finish against Manchester United in a historic 2–3 succeed at Old Trafford, although this was late ruled to be an own goal by Jonny Evans. [ 23 ] He scored in the league for Tottenham on 16 December, the only goal of the game, in a winnings at White Hart Lane against Swansea City. [ 24 ] Vertonghen then scored a brace in a fall back feat against Liverpool on 10 March. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for March 2013, making himself the second Belgian and the 12th Spurs player to win the prize. [ 25 ] On 11 April 2013, Vertonghen was sent-off against Basel during Tottenham ‘s Europa League quarter-final second leg. Tottenham went on to lose the affiliation 4–1 on penalties after a 4–4 draw on aggregate. [ 26 ] Vertonghen was named in the 2012–13 PFA Team of the Year, alongside Rio Ferdinand, Leighton Baines and Pablo Zabaleta in defense. [ 27 ]

2013-14 season [edit ]

During a league cup equal with Aston Villa FC in September, Villa striker Nicklas Helenius gained notoriety when Vertonghen pulled down his shorts while he shot on goal, which revealed his tight flannel briefs. [ 28 ]

2014–15 season [edit ]

At the originate of the 2014–15 season, Vertonghen appeared to be out of favor with new coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine gave Vertonghen limited games, preferring Younès Kaboul and Federico Fazio. however, Kaboul lost his plaza to Vertonghen, who formed an effective partnership with Fazio. together, the pair, over the straddle of 15 games, celebrated 11 wins and only suffered one loss. Vertonghen helped Spurs to reach the 2015 League Cup Final and started the game on 1 March 2015, but Tottenham lost to rival club Chelsea at Wembley Stadium 2–0. [ 29 ]

2015–16 season [edit ]

Vertonghen was joined in defensive structure by early Ajax teammate and compatriot Alderweireld at the start of the 2015–16 season. Over the first ten-spot games of the season, Vertonghen and Alderweireld played ten out of the opening ten games together, with Spurs suffering alone one loss during the bridge. In late January 2016, he damaged his median knee-ligament and did not play for 11 weeks. [ 30 ] He returned in the home match against Manchester United on 10 April 2016, which finished in a 3–0 acquire, the beginning home league succeed for Tottenham against Manchester United since 2001. [ 31 ] His partnership with Alderweireld in the defense was recognised as being crucial for the clubhouse which had the joint-lowest issue of goals conceded in the Premier League that season. [ 32 ] [ 33 ]

2016–17 season [edit ]

On 2 December 2016, Vertonghen signed a newly sign with Tottenham until 2019. [ 32 ] however, in mid January 2017, Vertonghen suffered an ankle ligament injury that would see him out of natural process for five weeks. [ 30 ] He returned to the team on 19 February in the fifth attack FA Cup match against Fulham at Craven Cottage. [ 34 ] This temper, Vertonghen was partially of the Tottenham defense that achieved the best defensive record for the club, with only 26 goals conceded in the Premier League ( and entirely 9 conceded in dwelling league games ), 6 better than the previous record of 32 conceded that was set in the 1908–09 season in the Second Division. [ 35 ] He was considered then one of the best defenders in the Premier League. [ 36 ] [ 37 ]

2017–18 temper [edit ]

On 7 January 2018, Vertonghen scored his first goal for the club since October 2013, a 30-yard affect in the 3–0 win over Wimbledon in the third base polish of the 2017–18 FA Cup. [ 38 ] This season, he made 36 appearances out of the 38 Premier League games, equally well six in the UEFA Champions League, and five in the cup. [ 39 ]

2018–19 season [edit ]

In the opening game of the 2018–19 season against Newcastle United, Vertonghen scored Tottenham ‘s inaugural goal of the season 8 minutes into the game, helping the team to a 2–1 gain. [ 40 ] however, he suffered a hamstring wound in the game against Huddersfield on 29 September, and was out for two months, [ 41 ] returning to the starting lineup in the Champions League game against Inter Milan in late November. [ 42 ] His abridge with Tottenham was extended to 2020 in December 2018. [ 43 ] In the last 16 round home game against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Vertonghen played in the less familiar situation of impart annex back, scoring one goal and providing one assist in a game that finished 3–0. He received wide praise for his performance in this game, [ 44 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ] and he was named the Champions League Player of the Week by UEFA. [ 47 ] In the match against Ajax in the semifinal of the Champions League, he suffered a head injury after clashing his fountainhead with Toby Alderweireld. [ 48 ] [ 49 ] He returned to play in the leg in Amsterdam wearing a protective mask, and helped the team to a dramatic succeed against Ajax that sent Tottenham to their first base Champions League final. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] Vertonghen late revealed that the collision left him with symptoms of concussion such as dizziness and headaches for nine months afterwards, which affected his performance in the comply and final examination season with Tottenham. [ 52 ]

2019–20 season [edit ]

In the 2019–20 season, Vertonghen scored a late goal besides as the winning goal, his first base of the season, in the away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers to snatch a 2–1 gain. [ 53 ] On 26 December 2019, he made his three-hundredth Tottenham appearance in a 2–1 dwelling comeback win over Brighton & Hove Albion. [ 54 ] Vertonghen ‘s contract was in the first place set to expire on 30 June 2020, but was extended to the end of the 2019–20 crusade due to the arrest related to COVID-19. He became a free agent after the club ‘s end game of the season against Crystal Palace. [ 55 ] Vertonghen did not appear in the match .

Benfica [edit ]

On 14 August 2020, Benfica announced the sign language of the 33-year honest-to-god on a three-year cope. [ 56 ] He made his debut on 15 September away to Greece ‘s PAOK FC in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, a 2–1 passing in a one-leg match where he scored an own goal. [ 57 ] Three days late he played for the first time in the Primeira Liga, a 5–1 acquire at F.C. Famalicão in the temper opener. [ 58 ] On 3 December 2020, Vertonghen scored his first goal for Benfica in a home match against Lech Poznan in the group stage of the Europa League. [ 59 ]

International career [edit ]

Vertonghen made his international debut at the under-21 level in 2006 and played in the 2007 UEFA U21 Championships. On 2 June 2007, he made his senior debut for the national team in a 2–1 home loss against Portugal in UEFA Euro 2008 qualification. At the end of the game he was fouled by substitute striker Hugo Almeida, who was sent off. [ 60 ] Vertonghen was besides selected for the 2008 Olympics and played in every match as the Belgians unexpectedly took fourthly place. In the 2010 World Cup qualify, he began to establish himself as a even, initially at centre-back as former Ajax teammate Thomas Vermaelen ‘s partner. He scored the unfold goal, besides his first gear ever international goal, [ 61 ] in an August 2009 friendly against the Czech Republic that ended in a 3–1 passing. On 7 September 2009, in a World Cup qualifying away match against Spain, he injured his toe and had to be stretchered off and substituted in the 29th minute. The peer ended badly angstrom well ; a 5–0 loss. [ 62 ] now he normally plays a leftback as Vermaelen and Vincent Kompany are the preferable match in central defense. [ 63 ] He was back in the get down eleven for the friendly against Hungary, a 3–0 succeed [ 64 ] and the 1–0 loss to Croatia the following March. On 13 May 2014, Vertonghen was named in Belgium ‘s police squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. [ 65 ] In the team ‘s opening match against Algeria, the african side was awarded a punishment after Vertonghen pulled down Sofiane Feghouli and received a chicken card. Feghouli scored for Algeria from the punishment spot, [ 66 ] but Belgium came back to win 2–1. He was then replaced by Thomas Vermaelen in the starting line-up for the second match against Russia on 22 June. [ 67 ] After 31 minutes, however, Vermaelen was taken off with an injury and replaced by Vertonghen. [ 67 ] In the concluding group catch, Vertonghen captained the team and scored the winning goal as Belgium beat South Korea 1–0. [ 68 ] early in the 2014–15 season, Vertonghen knocked a child unconscious with a mislaid shoot during a train seance with the belgian team. [ 69 ] In 2016, he injured two ligaments in his ankle in an accident while training before the quarter-final against Wales during UEFA Euro 2016, and as a leave missed the equal that Belgium lost. [ 70 ] eleven years to the day on from his international début, against the like enemy ( Portugal ) Vertonghen won his hundredth hood ( the beginning in belgian history ), which was presented to him by his beget. [ 71 ] At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Vertonghen initiated the grade in Belgium ‘s second-half rejoinder from a 0–2 deficit against Japan, heading from 20 yards out to the far post in a 3–2 rejoinder victory. [ 72 ]

career statistics [edit ]

clubhouse [edit ]

As of match played 7 November 2021[73][74]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ajax 2006–07 Eredivisie 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 6 0
2007–08 Eredivisie 31 2 3 0 1 0 2 0 37 2
2008–09 Eredivisie 26 4 2 0 7 1 35 5
2009–10 Eredivisie 32 3 7 0 10 0 49 3
2010–11 Eredivisie 32 6 6 1 13 1 0 0 51 8
2011–12 Eredivisie 31 8 3 2 8 0 0 0 42 10
Total 155 23 21 3 42 2 2 0 220 28
RKC Waalwijk (loan) 2006–07 Eredivisie 12 3 1 0 13 3
Tottenham Hotspur 2012–13 Premier League 34 4 1 0 2 1 12 1 49 6
2013–14 Premier League 23 0 0 0 2 0 8 1 33 1
2014–15 Premier League 32 0 2 0 6 0 7 0 47 0
2015–16 Premier League 29 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 33 0
2016–17 Premier League 33 0 3 0 0 0 6 0 42 0
2017–18 Premier League 36 0 4 1 1 0 6 0 47 1
2018–19 Premier League 22 1 1 0 1 0 10 1 34 2
2019–20 Premier League 23 1 4 1 0 0 3 0 30 2
Total 232 6 15 2 12 1 56 3 315 12
Benfica 2020–21 Primeira Liga 28 0 3 0 1 0 9 1 1 0 42 1
2021–22 Primeira Liga 9 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 18 0
Total 37 0 5 0 1 0 16 1 1 0 60 1
Career total 436 32 42 5 13 1 114 6 3 0 608 44

International [edit ]

As of match played 16 November 2021[75]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Belgium
2007 6 0
2008 7 0
2009 7 1
2010 7 0
2011 8 1
2012 9 2
2013 10 0
2014 13 1
2015 9 1
2016 13 0
2017 9 2
2018 12 1
2019 8 0
2020 5 0
2021 13 0
Total 136 9
The friendlies against Romania on 14 November 2012 and Luxembourg on 26 May 2014 are not officially recognised FIFA matches due to an excessive number of substitutions when only six were allowed.[76]
As of match played 16 November 2021. Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Vertonghen goal.[77]

Honours [edit ]

Ajax
Tottenham Hotspur
Benfica
Belgium
Individual

See besides [edit ]

References [edit ]