37-year-old Vertonghen announced his retirement at the end of the season, and Belgium's golden generation lost another member

Jan Vertonghen held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that he will end his 19-year professional career at the end of this season.

"I have already decided to retire after this season," he said at a press conference. "During my injury, I had plenty of time to reflect and gradually realized that I could not play another year in my ideal condition. The persistent pain in my ankle and Achilles tendon made it difficult for me to persist."

"Some injuries get better over time, but after the New Year, I realized that the situation was irreversible. My goal is to be ready for the Champions League play-offs. In the game against Cercle Brugge, I felt that I was in good shape, but it is not realistic to play 11 games in a row. Nowadays, I need longer to recover after each game. My only wish is to say goodbye on the pitch, but Anderlecht's goals obviously take precedence over my personal wishes."

Last summer, Vertonghen decided to stay at Anderlecht for another year. "When I told my family that I would stay at Anderlecht, my son started crying. He wanted me to stay at home more. When I announced my retirement, he cried again." Vertonghen smiled and added: "I have experienced many wonderful moments this season and I am still enjoying it. We are about to face the Belgian Cup final and we also need to prove ourselves in the play-offs."

Talking about life after retirement, Vertonghen said: "I hope to play football with my sons in the park and dance with my daughter. There were too many things I couldn't do in the past, but now I can finally enjoy them freely. My summer vacation is almost full."

Vertonghen, 37, plays mainly as a central defender and is known as Belgium's "golden generation" along with Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and others. He came from Ajax's youth training and made his debut for the first team in the Champions League on August 23, 2006.

To date, Vertonghen has played for Ajax, Waalwijk, Tottenham Hotspur and Benfica at the club level, and joined Royal Anderlecht as a free agent in September 2022. He has made 723 appearances in all competitions, contributing 53 goals and 22 assists, and won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup twice with the team.

As for the national team, Vertonghen has played for Belgium since June 2007, with a total of 157 appearances, 10 goals and 6 assists. He has participated in three World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and three European Championships (2016, 2021, 2024). His last appearance for Belgium was in the quarter-finals of the European Championship on July 1, 2024.