Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen (born 24 April 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Pro League club Anderlecht and the Belgium national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back.
Vertonghen began his senior career at Dutch club Ajax in 2006 and totalled 220 games and 28 goals for them across all competitions, serving as their captain from 2011 to 2012. He won two Eredivisie and two KNVB Cup titles during his time at the club, and in 2012 he was named Dutch Footballer of the Year. Vertonghen transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2012, and made the PFA Team of the Year in his first Premier League season. He made 315 appearances for Spurs over eight years, as well as reaching the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, and was named the club's Player of the Year in 2018. After spending two seasons with Portuguese club Benfica, he joined Anderlecht in 2022.
Vertonghen made his international debut for Belgium in 2007 and his 154 caps (including three unofficial games, according to FIFA rules) are the most in the history of the national team. He was part of Belgian squads that came fourth at the 2008 Olympics, finishing third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the quarter-finals at UEFA Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.
Vertonghen made his international debut at the under-21 level in 2006 and played in the 2007 UEFA U21 Championships.
On 2 June 2007, he made his senior debut for the national team in a 2–1 home loss against Portugal in UEFA Euro 2008 qualification. At the end of the game he was fouled by substitute striker Hugo Almeida, who was sent off. Vertonghen was also selected for the 2008 Olympics and played in every match as the Belgians unexpectedly took fourth place.
In the 2010 World Cup qualifying, he began to establish himself as a regular, initially at centre-back as former Ajax teammate Thomas Vermaelen's partner. He scored the opening goal, also his first ever international goal, in an August 2009 friendly against the Czech Republic that ended in a 3–1 loss. On 7 September 2009, in a World Cup qualifying away match against Spain, he injured his toe and had to be stretchered off and substituted in the 29th minute. The match ended bad as well; a 5–0 loss. Now he usually plays as leftback as Vermaelen and Vincent Kompany are the preferred pairing in central defence. He was back in the starting eleven for the friendly against Hungary, a 3–0 win and the 1–0 loss to Croatia the following March.
On 13 May 2014, Vertonghen was named in Belgium's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the team's opening match against Algeria, the African side was awarded a penalty after Vertonghen pulled down Sofiane Feghouli and received a yellow card. Feghouli scored for Algeria from the penalty spot, but Belgium came back to win 2–1. He was then replaced by Thomas Vermaelen in the starting line-up for the second match against Russia on 22 June. After 31 minutes, however, Vermaelen was taken off with an injury and replaced by Vertonghen. In the final group match, Vertonghen captained the team and scored the winning goal as Belgium beat South Korea 1–0.
Early in the 2014–15 season, Vertonghen knocked a child unconscious with a misplaced shot during a training session with the Belgian squad. In 2016, he injured two ligaments in his ankle in an accident while training before the quarter-final against Wales during UEFA Euro 2016, and as a result missed the match that Belgium lost.
Eleven years to the day on from his international debut, against the same opposition (Portugal) Vertonghen won his 100th cap (the first in Belgian history), which was presented to him by his mother.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Jan Vertonghen initiated the scoring in Belgium's second-half comeback from a 0–2 deficit against Japan, heading from 20 yards out to the far post in a 3–2 comeback victory.
On September 12, 2023, Vertonghen won his 150th cap in Brussels in a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Estonia. He completed the celebration by scoring the opening goal in a 5–0 win.<\/P>","12F030D6FCEE9D12":"45596","EDBF020A791C65EC6DC356F5C22437AB":"14","44815DEA11FB577D3ADEC3055D57C9DB":"1500000.00","572BB26E7A76C211":"547","185D9308B7C9E0BBE486C613A62D93FE":"2","EBC62A89E472008E22ACFCF9251EA2ED":"","C3DE130B7D4AB7DB":"Jan Vertonghen","FD159EB5937AD12F4B2E9E75B80D3D16":"Belgium","4FB95329DB27F065AB688F47FF3E7436":"2022-9-2","5BB437CAF240E475":"86kg","7FB3F46040506B81":"Jan Vertonghen","B6B40535701B4CD0DB864915DEF06E2A":"
CLUB
<\/U><\/STRONG>Ajax<\/STRONG>
Eredivisie: 2010–11, 2011–12
KNVB Cup: 2006–07, 2009–10
Tottenham Hotspur<\/STRONG>
Football League Cup runner-up: 2014–15
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19
Benfica
<\/STRONG>Primeira Liga: 2022–23
Taca de Portugal runner-up: 2020–21
Taca da Liga runner-up: 2021–22
INTERNATIONAL<\/U><\/STRONG>
Belgium<\/STRONG>
FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
INDIVIDUAL
<\/U>
Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award):
<\/STRONG>2007–08
Ajax Player of the Year (Rinus Michels Award):
<\/STRONG>2011–12
Dutch Footballer of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2012
AFC Ajax Club of 100:
<\/STRONG>2012
PFA Team of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2012–13 Premier League, 2017–18 Premier League
Premier League Player of the Month:
<\/STRONG>March 2013
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season:
<\/STRONG>2018–19
RBFA 125 Years All Star Team:
<\/STRONG>2020
IFFHS All Time Belgium Dream Team:
<\/STRONG>2021<\/P>","2278C81F60D7F1ECF170F6DDE4B76865":"SL Benfica","BE541FF326E82F6A":"R.S.C. Anderlecht","44815DEA11FB577D5BF802155ED45F52BF89EAE80D401A5B":"1","e_index":5};