Tottenham legend Jan Vertonghen publicizes retirement after considerations over reliance on painkillers

Jan Vertonghen has announced that he will retire from professional football at the end of the season, having been hampered by injuries during his time at Anderlecht this season

Ex-Spurs star Jan Vertonghen has dropped the bombshell that he’s hanging up his boots at the end of the season. The 37-year-old has featured for Anderlecht, Ajax, Spurs and Benfica and bagging the title of Belgium’s top player with a whopping 157 caps.

He was backbone for Tottenham during his 2012-2020 spell, racking up 315 matches and propelling the club to two Carabao Cup finals, their loftiest Premier League spot, and a Champions League final battle in 2019.

Vertonghen was a crucial cog in Belgium’s star-studded ‘Golden Generation’, playing in a hat-trick of World Cups. After bidding goodbye to international footie last year, he’s now set to bow out from club action too—battered by injury woes at Anderlecht.

The centre-back confessed: “I have noticed that it is becoming more and more difficult to prepare myself physically for training sessions and matches and to show myself as the player I want to be,” noting the toll it’s taken. “Not only towards the fans and my fellow players, but also towards myself. That is why I will be stopping after this season.”

Dogged by ankle issues and an Achilles tendon injury in recent times, Vertonghen’s been limited to a mere five games for Anderlecht this term, reports the Mirror.

His confessed to a reliance on painkillers and jabs just to keep playing the beautiful game.

“During all those months on the sidelines, I had time to reflect,” he added. “I quickly came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be able to play a full year at the level I wanted. I constantly suffer from ankle pain, so the decision was quite easy to make.

“I’ve seen about 10 specialists this year who assured me the pain would go away. But the pain is daily, and just walking up the stadium stairs hurts. I have to warm up for a very long time before I can play.

“I take painkillers and have had several injections, but I’m not a fan of that kind of shock treatment. I don’t want to be dependent on painkillers. I feel like I’ll still be welcome at every club I’ve played for, and that makes me proud, as does the fact that I’ve been able to discover many different countries and cultures.”

Spurs honoured their former star on the official club website, writing: “Not only was he a great player, but he was also a man that embraced the community and was keen to help the less fortunate, which saw him give up his time to support the North Enfield Foodbank on a number of occasions. He was undoubtedly a fan favourite.”

Messages of support flooded in for the sports icon on Instagram, including heartfelt comments from ex-Belgium internationals Christian Benteke and Radja Nainggolan, who wished him well in his retirement.