Jan Vertonghen, record international of the golden generation

We all know the beautiful story of Belgium’s golden generation of footballers, from Eden Hazard to Axel Witsel, but when it comes to defence, the man Belgium could count on more than anyone else was the now-retired Jan Vertonghen. 

Born in Sint-Niklaas (East Flanders, about halfway between Antwerp and Ghent) on 24 April 1987, the left-footed sensation started his football adventure at VK Tielrode at just six years old. Eventually, it was time to move on, and at age 14 he joined Germinal Beerschot’s youth team. 

As fate would have it, this club worked together with Ajax, a club where he would spend nearly a decade, besides half a season on loan with RKC Waalwijk. After two seasons where his team took the championship, it was time for Jan to move onward and upward to the Premier League: 2012 saw Vertonghen sign with Tottenham Hotspur FC. He played there for eight years, until he signed with Benfica, only to come home in 2022, where he currently wears the purple-white jersey of RSC Anderlecht. 

While revered for his excellent club career, undoubtedly more Belgians know him for his immeasurable contributions to Belgium’s national squad. Super Jan got his first taste of international football in August 2002, with the first of six caps for the U16 team, and three caps for the U21.  

His first appearance with the big boys (read: the main national squad) was on 2 June 2007 against Portugal. That was the beginning of a long, beautiful career as an international. No less than 157 times did he wear the Belgian colours, serving as a stronghold in three World Cups, three European Cups and several editions of the UEFA Nations League. 

Just over two years after his first appearance, during his 15th time on the squad, Jan scored the first of ten goals for Belgium – not bad for a defender! In 2012, Vertonghen wore the captain’s band for the first time...a badge of honour and responsibility for any player. 

We already mentioned his 157 appearances for the Red Devils, surpassing Jan Ceulemans’ 96 caps by a landslide. The last of those was a match against France in the 2024 European Cup, after which he announced his retirement from international football. 

The announcement caused a wave of supportive reactions from his teammates, including winger extraordinaire Dries Mertens who called him the GOAT (greatest of all time), and ex-Red Devil Radja Nainggolan who referred to Jan as a legend. The man himself said “I lived my dream!”. Well, he made many a Belgian live their dream as well. Thank you for your service, Super Jan! 

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