Tottenham hero Jan Vertongen looks set to call time on his impressive career after a string of injuries have left his body on the brink of breaking point.
The 37-year-old, now playing for Anderlecht in his native Belgium, spent eight years in North London forming a formidable partnership with compatriot Toby Alderweireld which led the Lilywhites to four consecutive top-four Premier League finishes and a Champions League final before departing for Benfica in 2020.
The Belgian made over 200 appearances for the club, establishing himself as a regular for the national side which finished third in the 2018 World Cup.
Tottenham cult hero calls retirement
However, age has quickly caught up with the defender in recent years having missed 37 games for Anderlecht this season alone with respective ankle and achilles injuries.
Vertonghen has managed just four league appearances this season with the Belgian giants still firmly in the fight for European qualification this season.
Speaking in a recent interview, Vertonghen confirmed his plans to retire at the end of the current season due to the aforementioned issues suffered throughout the campaign.
He told reporters: “During all these months on the sidelines, I had time to think. I quickly came to the conclusion that I would not be able to play a whole year at the level I would like. I constantly suffer from ankle pain, so the decision was rather easy to make.
“I’ve seen about ten specialists this year who have assured me that the pain will 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 this kind of shock treatment. I don’t want to be dependent on painkillers.”
He added: “This decision was not made today. I have experienced some very difficult times and I even considered stopping in the middle of the season.”
The defender ruled out plans to go into coaching upon retiring, explaining: “I got my degree but it’s not something for me. I feel like it’s impossible to find a balance between family life and being a full-time coach.”
