Tottenham feature as Jan Vertonghen celebrates retirement
Tottenham legend Jan Vertonghen has retired from professional football after 20 remarkable seasons.
Vertonghen, 38, played his last ever home match for Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League on Sunday (18 May).
The former Tottenham centre-back made 315 appearances for the North London club between 2012 and 2020, twice named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and helped the club reach that special Champions League final in 2019.
Like Spurs for large parts of this season, injury tormented his final year at Anderlecht; however, a celebration for the ex-Belgium international at Lotto Park demonstrated that you can take the man from Hotspur Way but never Hotspur Way from the man.
Tottenham features in Vertonghen’s retirement celebrations
Vertonghen was not the only former Tottenham player to hang up his boots over the weekend, with Toby Alderweireld given a fantastic send-off from Royal Antwerp fans.
The two former Spurs defenders crossed paths during their time at the North London club and were key individuals in the success at the time.
| All-Time | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Tottenham | 315 | 14 | 7 |
In several images posted by Anderlecht via Instagram (18 May), Vertonghen is joined by Mousa Dembele, Michel Vorm, and Siem De Jong, as an enclosed Tottenham shirt with his number of caps is carried onto the pitch.
Underneath the celebratory post, the Belgian club wrote: “The captain of all captains.”
Tottenham to make history in days
While one historic chapter closes, another will hopefully open when Tottenham take on Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final at the Estadio de San Mamés on Wednesday (21 May).
Tottenham supporters are already travelling in their thousands to Bilbao in the hopes of watching the club end their 17-year trophy drought.
Ange Postecoglou will be leading the charge next week, and with his future at Spurs on the line, he will be hoping to secure more than a trophy.
Thus, with history in the making, past and present, this next week will go down in the books for years to come.