Ajax After spending time at VK Tielrode and
Germinal Beerschot, Vertonghen moved to the Netherlands and signed a contract with the youth academy of
Eredivisie side
AFC Ajax. He began as a midfielder but then became a regular at centre-back for Ajax. During his time in the
reserves, he became known for an incident in a
2006 KNVB Cup game against
Cambuur Leeuwarden, his first home game at the
Amsterdam Arena, where he scored a goal to put Ajax 3–0 up. He had attempted a back pass to the Cambuur goalkeeper while a teammate was receiving treatment but instead the ball went into the goal. Since it was unintentional, Ajax allowed Cambuur to score a goal in return. On 23 August 2006, Vertonghen made his first team debut in the
Champions League third qualifying round against
Copenhagen. He made his first start and Eredivisie debut in a 6–0 win over
Willem II at the Amsterdam Arena and would play another two matches for the first half of the season.
Loan to RKC After the winter break of the
2006–07 season, he was sent on
loan to struggling
RKC Waalwijk for the remainder of the season. At RKC, he would play 12 matches in which he scored three times, but he was unable to help the team avoid relegation to the
Eerste Divisie. One of his goals with RKC Waalwijk was against his parent club, Ajax, in a 2–2 draw, which eventually let Ajax finish second in the league on only one goal difference with
PSV.
Breakthrough at Ajax Vertonghen returned to Ajax for the
2007–08 season, where he was tipped for stardom, but was unable to break through due to a severe injury and the presence of central defenders
John Heitinga and
Thomas Vermaelen.
Johan Cruyff had made no secret of his admiration for the left-footed youngster who can handle any left-sided position in defence and midfield, opting, on 26 September 2008, to extend his contract to 30 June 2013. The
2008–09 season was a breakthrough season for the young defender. After John Heitinga left for
Atlético Madrid, Vertonghen became Thomas Vermaelen's first-choice partner in central defence; the former started 23 of the 26 games he played in and scored four goals. On 28 September, he scored a rare double against
Vitesse in a 3–0 win. Although sustaining an injury from training during the week, he played in the match against
Groningen on 24 January, billed as a "must-win" match by coach
Marco van Basten; Vertonghen was unfortunate enough to be sent off for two yellow cards as Ajax lost 1–0. He was out for a month after sustaining a hamstring injury in an away win on 1 March against
Utrecht, but his return lasted only several games after his season was prematurely ended after aggravating another injury.
Rising importance under Jol Under new coach
Martin Jol, Vertonghen retained his place in the starting line-up for the
2009–10 season. Despite injuring his toe while on international duty against
Spain the previous week, he scored his first goal of the season, a free kick, in a 6–0 thrashing of
NAC Breda on 13 September. With the departure of Thomas Vermaelen to
Arsenal, he and fellow Belgian
Toby Alderweireld become the first choice centre-back pairing and soon became a firm fans' favourite. Despite Ajax's erratic form in the latter weeks leading up to the winter break, he turned in some strong performances and attracted the interest of a number of clubs, including
Barcelona, but he played down the rumours, stating his intent to at least see out his contract with Ajax. After the winter break, Ajax went on a nine-game unbeaten streak in the league, with Vertonghen playing a key role. Their run of six consecutive clean sheets was ended in a 4–1 home win over
PSV when the visiting side were awarded a penalty. Vertonghen was linked with a move to
Newcastle United, and later he was also linked with
Milan, stating, "I've heard Milan Director
Adriano Galliani talk about me after the Champions League match in
San Siro and his words were very flattering." Vertonghen stated on numerous occasions late in the
2010–11 season that he was considering leaving Ajax at the end of that season. In May 2011,
Frank de Boer confirmed
Manchester City boss
Roberto Mancini was present at the
2011 KNVB Cup Final held on 7 May 2011, where Vertonghen's side lost 3–2 to
Twente. Mancini was reportedly scouting Vertonghen to strengthen his side after they had qualified for the
UEFA Champions League 2011–12 campaign.
Breakthrough under De Boer ing Ajax in 2011 During the
2011–12 Eredivisie season, Vertonghen emerged as one of Ajax's best players, demonstrating his versatility to cover multiple positions after Ajax had let several regular players out on long-term loans. After an impressive season, including a performance for which he was singled out for praise against Manchester United in the
UEFA Europa League Round of 16, he was named the 2011–12
Eredivisie Player of the Year. Named team captain by
Frank de Boer, he led his Ajax to their second title in a row, scoring eight goals in 31 league games, highlighting his attacking strengths. Also, for the second time, he dropped the Championship plate. "Now it falls on my toe – this plate just does not like me," Vertonghen said.
Tottenham Hotspur 2012–13 season Throughout the 2011–12 season, Vertonghen was linked with English club
Tottenham Hotspur and publicly expressed his desire to make the move to
White Hart Lane ahead of numerous other teams. A key factor in this was his desire to play as a centre-back, with Arsenal wanting to use him as a defensive midfielder. On 8 July 2012, Tottenham agreed a fee and terms for Vertonghen subject to a medical. On 12 July, Tottenham announced that they had officially completed the signing of Vertonghen, for an amount around 12 million Euros, after he successfully completed his medical. Vertonghen took part in his first game as a Tottenham player in a 3–2
friendly win against
Brentford on 14 July, then later scored his first goal for the club on 26 September in a 3–0 win against
Carlisle United in the third round of the
Football League Cup. Vertonghen scored his first
Premier League goal against Manchester United in a historic 2–3 win at
Old Trafford, although this was later ruled to be an own goal by
Jonny Evans. He scored in the league for Tottenham on 16 December, the only goal of the game, in a win at White Hart Lane against
Swansea City. Vertonghen then scored a brace in a losing effort against
Liverpool on 10 March. He was named
Premier League Player of the Month for March 2013, making himself the second Belgian and the 12th Spurs player to win the award. On 11 April 2013, Vertonghen was sent-off against
Basel during Tottenham's
Europa League quarter-final second leg. Tottenham went on to lose the tie 4–1 on penalties after a 4–4 draw on aggregate. Vertonghen was named in the 2012–13
PFA Team of the Year, alongside
Rio Ferdinand,
Leighton Baines and
Pablo Zabaleta in defence.
2013–14 season During a League Cup match with
Aston Villa in September, Villa striker
Nicklas Helenius gained notoriety when Vertonghen pulled down his shorts while he shot on goal, which revealed his
briefs. After an incident the following game with
Chelsea which got
Fernando Torres sent off, Chelsea coach
José Mourinho thought that Vertonghen should not have been playing because of the Helenius incident which he said that Vertonghen left the striker "naked".
2014–15 season in 2015 At the start of the
2014–15 season, Vertonghen appeared to be out of favour with new manager
Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine gave Vertonghen limited games, preferring
Younès Kaboul and
Federico Fazio. However, Kaboul lost his place to Vertonghen, who formed an effective partnership with Fazio. Together, the pair, over the span of 15 games, celebrated 11 wins and only suffered one loss. Vertonghen helped Spurs to reach the
2015 League Cup Final and started the game on 1 March 2015, but Tottenham lost to
rival club
Chelsea at
Wembley Stadium 2–0.
2015–16 season Vertonghen was joined in defence by former Ajax teammate and compatriot Alderweireld at the start of the
2015–16 season. Over the first ten games of the season, Vertonghen and Alderweireld played ten out of the opening ten games together, with Spurs suffering only one loss during the span. In late January 2016, he damaged his medial knee-ligament and did not play for 11 weeks. He returned in the home match against Manchester United on 10 April 2016, which finished in a 3–0 win, the first home league win for Tottenham against Manchester United since 2001. His partnership with Alderweireld in the defence was recognised as being crucial for the club which had the joint-lowest number of goals conceded in the Premier League that season.
2016–17 season On 2 December 2016, Vertonghen signed a new contract with Tottenham until 2019. This season, Vertonghen was part of the Tottenham defence that achieved the best defensive record for the club, with only 26 goals conceded in the Premier League (and only 9 conceded in home league games), 6 better than the previous record of 32 conceded that was set in the
1908–09 season in the
Second Division. He was considered then one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
2017–18 season On 7 January 2018, Vertonghen scored his first goal for the club since October 2013, a 30-yard strike in the 3–0 win over
Wimbledon in the third round of the
2017–18 FA Cup. This season, he made 36 appearances out of the 38 Premier League games, as well six in the UEFA Champions League, and five in the cups.
2018–19 season In the opening game of the
2018–19 season against
Newcastle United, Vertonghen scored Tottenham's first goal of the season 8 minutes into the game, helping the team to a 2–1 win. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the game against
Huddersfield on 29 September, and was out for two months, returning to the starting lineup in the
Champions League game against
Inter Milan in late November. His contract with Tottenham was extended to 2020 in December 2018. In the
last 16 round home game against
Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Vertonghen played in the less familiar position of left
wing back, scoring one goal and providing one assist in a game that finished 3–0. He received wide praise for his performance in this game, and he was named the Champions League Player of the Week by UEFA. In the match against
Ajax in the semifinal of the Champions League, he suffered a head injury after clashing his head with Toby Alderweireld. He returned to play in the leg in Amsterdam wearing a protective mask, and helped the team to a dramatic win against Ajax that sent Tottenham to their first Champions League final. Vertonghen later revealed that the collision left him with symptoms of
concussion such as dizziness and headaches for nine months afterwards, which affected his performance in the following and final season with Tottenham.
2019–20 season In the
2019–20 season, Vertonghen scored a late goal also as the winning goal, his first of the season, in the away game against
Wolverhampton Wanderers to snatch a 2–1 win. On 26 December 2019, he made his 300th Tottenham appearance in a 2–1 home comeback win over
Brighton & Hove Albion. Vertonghen's contract was originally set to expire on 30 June 2020, but was extended to the end of the 2019–20 campaign due to the stoppage related to
COVID-19. He became a free agent after the club's last game of the season against
Crystal Palace. Vertonghen did not appear in the match.
Benfica On 14 August 2020,
Benfica announced the signing of the 33-year old on a three-year deal. He made his debut on 15 September away to Greece's
PAOK in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, a 2–1 loss in a one-leg match where he scored an own goal. Three days later he played for the first time in the
Primeira Liga, a 5–1 win at
Famalicão in the season opener. On 3 December 2020, Vertonghen scored his first goal for Benfica in a home match against
Lech Poznan in the group stage of the
Europa League. in 2024
Anderlecht On 2 September 2022, Vertonghen signed with Belgian club
Anderlecht on a free transfer, after he and Benfica agreed to the termination of his contract. Vertonghen made his debut for Anderlecht on 7 August 2022, in a 2–2 home draw against
Leuven in the
Belgian Pro League. He scored his first goal for Anderlecht on 18 September 2022, in a
Belgian Pro League match against
Kortrijk He scored with a powerful header, contributing to a 4–1 home win. Vertonghen first wore the captain's armband for Anderlecht on 23 October 2022, during a
Belgian Pro League match against fierce rivals
Standard de Liège in the Belgian Clasico, at the
Stade Maurice Dufrasne. The match was abandoned due to flares being thrown by the away supporters after the hosts went 3–1 up. Vertonghen stepped in as captain due to the absence of the regular captain,
Hendrik Van Crombrugge. Vertonghen was named captain ahead of the 2023–24 season, his second with the club. On 11 December 2023, Vertonghen made his 50th appearance for Anderlecht in a 1–1 away draw against
Gent, at the
Planet Group Arena. On 5 May 2024, in a 0–0
Belgian Pro League Champions’ Playoffs match in the Brussels Derby against
Union Saint-Gilloise, Vertonghen picked up a groin injury, sidelining him for the rest of the season. His absence was an integral part of Anderlecht losing the title to rivals
Club Brugge. On 18 July 2024, Vertonghen signed a one-year extension with Anderlecht. In March 2025, he announced his retirement from professional football by the end of the 2024–25 season. On 18 May 2025, Vertonghen played his last professional match against
Brugge. ==International career==