Tottenham legend Jan Vertonghen announces retirement amid “constant” injury battles

Vertonghen spent eight years at Tottenham and was at the heart of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2019

Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has announced that he will retire from professional football at the end of the season.

It comes a year after the Anderlecht captain called time on his international career with Belgium, retiring as the nation’s record appearance holder with 157 caps.

Vertonghen wrote himself into Spurs folklore during an eight-year spell in North London, making 315 appearances between 2012 and 2020.

Jan Vertonghen retired from international football after Euro 2024 (EPA)

He is most vividly remembered by Premier League fans for making up one half of a formidable centre-back partnership with fellow compatriot Toby Alderweireld that acted as the backbone of the side that reached the Champions League final in 2019.

Vertonghen, now 37, cited a daily struggle brought about by an accumulation of injuries as the reason for hanging up his boots - something which has plagued his season with Anderlecht, limited to only five appearances.

"During all those months on the sidelines, I had time to reflect,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday. “I quickly came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be able to play a full year at the level I wanted. I constantly suffer from ankle pain, so the decision was quite easy to make.

"I've seen about 10 specialists this year who assured me the pain would go away. But the pain is daily, and just walking up the stadium stairs hurts. I have to warm up for a very long time before I can play.

"I take painkillers and have had several injections, but I'm not a fan of that kind of shock treatment. I don't want to be dependent on painkillers. I feel like I'll still be welcome at every club I've played for, and that makes me proud, as does the fact that I've been able to discover many different countries and cultures."

Vertonghen was tipped for stardom at Ajax after breaking through as a teenager and spent six years in the first-team setup, before earning a move to Tottenham in the summer of 2012.

There, he established his name in the upper echelons of English football, being named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year twice during his near-decade stay at Spurs.

Vertonghen has been blighted by injury problems in recent years (Getty Images)

After becoming a free agent in the summer of 2020, he moved to Portuguese giants Benfica before returning to his homeland to play for Anderlecht in 2022, where he was quickly awarded the captaincy.

Vertonghen will now bid farewell to the professional game, but has vowed to go out on a high ahead of the Belgian Pro League’s hotly-anticipated championship play-offs.

“For the next 11 games, these eight to 10 weeks, I'll try to give it my all and hopefully experience some beautiful moments together,” Vertonghen added.

“But then the journey ends and that hasn't been an easy decision, but it's a decision I have to take and I feel it's the right time. We'll do everything we can to make it a fantastic ending.”