Another Tottenham Hotspur legend is coming back. Toby Alderweireld (37), who played alongside Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) for six years, will visit north London for the first time in a long while.
Tottenham announced on the 17th (Korea time) via the club website that "Tottenham's former defender Alderweireld will return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He has been invited as a special guest for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 against Atlético Madrid, which takes place on Wednesday."
Tottenham will play the second leg of the round of 16 against Atlético at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 5 a.m. on the 19th. Tottenham needs at least three goals to advance to the quarterfinals because they lost 2-5 after conceding successive goals due to a costly mistake by Antonín Kinský in the first leg away in Madrid.
Alderweireld will be on hand to cheer for Tottenham, which needs a miracle. Tottenham said, "Fans will have the chance to hear Toby reminisce about the six years he spent at Tottenham in a stadium interview before kickoffs."
Alderweireld was one of the key figures who led Tottenham's golden era alongside Son Heung-min. He left Atlético in the summer of 2015 to join Tottenham and, teaming up with Jan Vertonghen, produced top-level performances in the Premier League.
The Vertonghen-Alderweireld pairing, who also shared the same table in the Belgian national team, was stronger than expected. The two not only tightened up the defense but also made their presence felt on both ends with set-piece involvement and excellent long passes.
In particular, Alderweireld was outstanding as soon as he joined Tottenham and was named the club's player of the year for the 2015-16 season. He was also included in the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) team of the year.
Alderweireld was always at the center of Tottenham's best moments in the mid-to-late 2010s. The club noted, "The Vertonghen-Alderweireld partnership was central to qualifying for the Champions League in the 2015-16 season, conceding the fewest goals in the Premier League in 2016-17 (26 goals conceded), and finishing second in the league. Toby also started every match from the quarterfinals to the final in the Champions League in the 2018-19 season."
Alderweireld was also close with Son Heung-min, who joined the club in the same intake. Son scored from long passes delivered by him, and he finished corner kicks delivered by Son with his head.
Because of this, Son said, "All the players understand me well. But Toby understands me the best," noting they connected well even on the pitch. Alderweireld also revealed his affection in a "lie detector" test when asked if he liked Son, answering "Yes. Very much." The test result was also determined to be "truth."
However, their relationship ended in 2021 when Alderweireld left Tottenham first. After playing a total of 236 matches for Tottenham, Alderweireld moved to Al-Duhail in Qatar and the following year transferred to his hometown team Royal Antwerp, lifting the Belgian Cup and the Jupiler League winner's trophy. In particular, he wrote a drama by scoring an equalizer in the 94th minute of the second half in the final league match to secure the club's first title in 66 years.
Five years ago Alderweireld bid farewell, saying, "I always gave my best and gave 100% whenever I stepped onto the pitch. I wanted to be remembered in the club's history, and Tottenham will remain a part of me forever." Following Son Heung-min's return to Tottenham last December, he too will meet Tottenham fans again. Alderweireld has been spending time with his family since he announced his retirement last year.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited), Tottenham social media.
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