Jan Vertonghen facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen with the bronze medal for Belgium at the 2018 World Cup

Personal information

Full name

Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen

Date of birth

24 April 1987 (age 38)

Place of birth

Sint-Niklaas, Belgium

Height

1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)

Position(s)

Centre-back, left-back

Team information

Current team

Anderlecht

Number

Youth career

1997–2000

VK Tielrode

2000–2003

Germinal Beerschot

2003–2006

Ajax

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2006–2012

Ajax

155

(23)

2006–2007

→ RKC Waalwijk (loan)

(3)

2012–2020

Tottenham Hotspur

232

(6)

2020–2022

Benfica

(0)

2022–

Anderlecht

(5)

International career

2002

Belgium U16

(1)

2007

Belgium U21

(0)

2007–2024

Belgium

157

(10)

Medal record


Men's football
Representing Belgium
FIFA World Cup
Third	2018

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:13, 4 August 2024 (UTC)

Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen (born 24 April 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer. He plays as a defender for the club Anderlecht in Belgium. He mostly plays as a centre-back, but can also play as a left-back.

Vertonghen started his professional career at the Dutch club Ajax in 2006. He played 220 games for them and scored 28 goals. He was the team captain from 2011 to 2012. While at Ajax, he won two Eredivisie titles (the top Dutch league) and two KNVB Cup titles. In 2012, he was named the Dutch Footballer of the Year.

In July 2012, Vertonghen moved to Tottenham Hotspur in England. He played 315 games for Spurs over eight years. He even helped them reach the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. He was named the club's Player of the Year in 2018. After playing two seasons for the Portuguese club Benfica, he joined Anderlecht in 2022. At 37, he is currently the oldest outfield player on their team.

Vertonghen first played for the Belgian national team in 2007. He has played 157 games for Belgium, which is more than any other player in the country's history. He helped Belgium finish fourth at the 2008 Olympics. He also helped them finish third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He reached the quarter-finals at UEFA Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. On 5 July 2024, after 17 years, Vertonghen announced he was retiring from international football.

Early Life and Youth Career
Becoming a Star at Ajax
- Loan to RKC Waalwijk
- Breakthrough and Captaincy
Moving to Tottenham Hotspur
- Key Player for Spurs
- Later Years at Tottenham
Benfica and Anderlecht
International Career
Career Statistics
- Club
- International
Awards and Achievements
See also

Early Life and Youth Career

Jan Vertonghen was born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. His parents are Ria Mattheeuws and Paul Vertonghen. He has two brothers, Ward and Lode, who also played football.

Jan started playing football at VK Tielrode and Germinal Beerschot. Later, he moved to the Netherlands. There, he joined the youth academy of AFC Ajax, a famous club in the Eredivisie. He began as a midfielder but soon became a regular centre-back for Ajax.

Becoming a Star at Ajax

Vertonghen (right) playing for Ajax in 2010

Vertonghen made his first team debut for Ajax on 23 August 2006. This was in a Champions League qualifying game. He played his first league game in a big 6–0 win against Willem II.

Loan to RKC Waalwijk

After the first half of the 2006–07 season, Vertonghen was loaned to RKC Waalwijk. This team was struggling in the league. He played 12 matches and scored three goals for them. One of his goals was against his own club, Ajax, in a 2–2 draw. Even though he scored, he could not stop RKC from being relegated.

Breakthrough and Captaincy

Vertonghen returned to Ajax for the 2007–08 season. He was expected to become a big star. He signed a new contract until 2013. The 2008–09 season was a big one for him. He became a regular starter in central defence. He played 23 games and scored four goals.

Under new coach Martin Jol, Vertonghen kept his spot in the starting team for the 2009–10 season. He and fellow Belgian Toby Alderweireld became the main centre-back pair. Fans really liked them. Vertonghen played a key role as Ajax went on a nine-game unbeaten run.

Vertonghen with Ajax in 2011

During the 2011–12 Eredivisie season, Vertonghen became one of Ajax's best players. He showed he could play well in many different positions. After a great season, he was named the Eredivisie Player of the Year. He became the team captain and led Ajax to their second league title in a row. He scored eight goals in 31 league games that season.

Moving to Tottenham Hotspur

Vertonghen playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2015

Vertonghen wanted to play for Tottenham Hotspur. On 12 July 2012, Tottenham officially signed him. He played his first game for Tottenham in a friendly match on 14 July. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 September in a cup game.

He scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester United in a 3–2 win at Old Trafford. He scored twice against Liverpool on 10 March. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for March 2013. Vertonghen was also chosen for the PFA Team of the Year for the 2012–13 season.

Key Player for Spurs

In the 2014–15 season, Vertonghen became a key player again. He formed a strong partnership with Federico Fazio. Together, they helped Spurs win 11 out of 15 games. Vertonghen also helped Spurs reach the 2015 League Cup Final. However, they lost to Chelsea 2–0.

For the 2015–16 season, his former Ajax teammate Toby Alderweireld joined him in defence. Their partnership was very important for the team. Tottenham had one of the best defensive records in the league that season. In January 2016, he got a knee injury and was out for 11 weeks.

On 2 December 2016, Vertonghen signed a new contract with Tottenham until 2019. In January 2017, he got an ankle injury. He returned to the team in February. This season, Tottenham had their best defensive record ever in the Premier League. They only let in 26 goals.

Later Years at Tottenham

On 7 January 2018, Vertonghen scored his first goal for the club since 2013. It was a long-range shot in an FA Cup game. He played in 36 of the 38 Premier League games this season.

In the first game of the 2018–19 season, Vertonghen scored Tottenham's first goal. This helped them win 2–1 against Newcastle United. He got a hamstring injury in September and was out for two months. His contract was extended to 2020 in December 2018.

In the Champions League round of 16, Vertonghen played as a left wing back. He scored a goal and set up another in a 3–0 win. He was praised for his performance. In the Champions League semi-final against Ajax, he got a head injury. He played the next game with a protective mask. Tottenham won and reached their first Champions League final. Vertonghen later said the injury affected him for nine months.

In the 2019–20 season, Vertonghen scored a late winning goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 26 December 2019, he played his 300th game for Tottenham. His contract ended on 30 June 2020, and he left the club.

Benfica and Anderlecht

On 14 August 2020, Vertonghen signed a three-year deal with Benfica in Portugal. He made his debut on 15 September in a Champions League qualifying game. Three days later, he played his first game in the Primeira Liga. On 3 December 2020, he scored his first goal for Benfica in a Europa League match.

Vertonghen with Anderlecht in 2024

On 2 September 2022, Vertonghen joined the Belgian club Anderlecht. He made his debut for Anderlecht on 7 August 2022. He scored his first goal for the club on 18 September 2022 with a strong header.

Vertonghen first wore the captain's armband for Anderlecht on 23 October 2022. He became the full-time captain for the 2023–24 season. On 11 December 2023, he played his 50th game for Anderlecht. On 5 May 2024, he got a groin injury that ended his season. On 18 July 2024, Vertonghen signed a new one-year contract with Anderlecht.

International Career

Vertonghen with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Vertonghen played for Belgium's under-21 team starting in 2006. He played in the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship.

On 2 June 2007, he played his first game for the senior national team. This was in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Portugal. He also played in every game at the 2008 Olympics, where Belgium finished fourth.

He became a regular player for Belgium in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying games. He scored his first international goal in August 2009 against the Czech Republic.

On 13 May 2014, Vertonghen was chosen for Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In their first game, he gave away a penalty, but Belgium still won 2–1. In the final group match, Vertonghen was the captain and scored the winning goal against South Korea.

In 2016, he injured his ankle during training before a UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final game. He missed the match, which Belgium lost. On 2 June 2018, exactly eleven years after his debut, Vertonghen played his 100th game for Belgium. He was the first Belgian player to reach this milestone.

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Vertonghen scored a goal against Japan. His goal started Belgium's comeback from being 2–0 down to win 3–2.

Vertonghen was also part of Belgium's squads for UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was called up for UEFA Euro 2024 as well. He scored an own goal in their 1–0 loss to France in the round of 16.

On 5 July 2024, Jan Vertonghen announced his retirement from international football. He ended his career with Belgium having played a record 157 games over 17 years.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	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	28	0	3	0	2	0	13	0	—		46	0
	2022–23	Primeira Liga	1	0	—		—		0	0	—		1	0
	Total		57	0	6	0	3	0	22	1	1	0	89	1
Anderlecht	2022–23	Belgian Pro League	24	1	1	0	—		11	1	—		36	2
	2023–24	Belgian Pro League	34	3	2	0	—		—		—		36	3
	2024–25	Belgian Pro League	2	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		2	0
	Total		60	4	3	0	—		11	1	—		74	5
Career total			516	36	46	5	15	1	131	7	3	0	711	49

International

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
	2022	9	0
	2023	8	1
	2024	4	0
Total		157	10

Some friendly matches are not officially recognised by FIFA due to too many player changes.

Belgium score listed first, score column indicates score after each Vertonghen goal.

List of international goals scored by Jan Vertonghen
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	12 August 2009	Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic	15	Czech Republic	1–3	1–3	Friendly
2	29 March 2011	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	30	Azerbaijan	4–1	4–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
3	15 August 2012	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	39	Netherlands	4–2	4–2	Friendly
4	7 September 2012	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	40	Wales	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	26 June 2014	Arena Corinthians, Paulo, Brazil	58	South Korea	1–0	1–0	2014 FIFA World Cup
6	13 November 2015	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	74	Italy	1–1	3–1	Friendly
7	3 September 2017	Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens, Greece	92	Greece	1–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	7 October 2017	Stadion Grbavica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina	93	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3–2	4–3	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	2 July 2018	Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don, Russia	105	Japan	1–2	3–2	2018 FIFA World Cup
10	12 September 2023	Koning Boudewijnstadion, Brussels, Belgium	150	Estonia	1–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualification