Jan Vertonghen

Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen with Ajax in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen
Date of birth	(1987-04-24) 24 April 1987 (age 29)
Place of birth	Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre-back
Club information
Current team	Tottenham Hotspur
Number	5
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)	12	(3)
2012–	Tottenham Hotspur	138	(5)
National team‡
2002	Belgium U16	6	(1)
2006–2009	Belgium U21	23	(0)
2007–	Belgium	85	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 January 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 October 2016

Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɑn vərˈtɔŋə(n)]; born 24 April 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a defender for English club Tottenham Hotspur and the Belgian national team. He is the third-captain for Spurs. A left-footed player who usually plays as a centre-back, he is equally adept at playing anywhere on the left side or in defensive midfield and frequently joins in the attack from his centre-back position. Although playing as a defender, Vertonghen is well known for his offensive prowess and powerful shooting ability.

After the departure of Luis Suárez for Liverpool in January 2011, Vertonghen was appointed as vice-captain of Ajax under captain Maarten Stekelenburg; following Stekelenburg's transfer to Roma, Vertonghen was made captain. In 2012, Vertonghen was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. After his transfer to Tottenham in July 2012, he won Premier League Player of the Month in March 2013, making himself the second Belgian and the 12th Spurs player to win the award.

Vertonghen was born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, to Ria Mattheeuws and Paul Vertonghen. He has two brothers, Ward and Lode; both have played football "to a decent level".

After spending time at VK Tielrode and Germinal Beerschot, Vertonghen moved to the Netherlands and signed a contract with the youth academy of Eredivisie side AFC Ajax. He began as a midfielder but then became a regular at centre-back for Ajax. During his time in the reserves, he became known for an incident in the 2006 KNVB Cup game against Cambuur Leeuwarden, his first ever home game at the Amsterdam Arena, where he "scored" a bizarre goal to put Ajax 3–0 up. He had attempted a back pass to the Cambuur goalkeeper while a teammate was receiving treatment but instead the ball sailed past the shocked goalkeeper, much to the amusement of the spectators and the bewilderment of the players. Since the goal was obviously unintentional, in a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Ajax allowed Cambuur to score a goal in return.