Ajax Born in
Antwerp, Alderweireld moved to
Ajax's
youth academy in August 2004 from
Germinal Beerschot. On 22 February 2007, he signed his first professional contract, tying him to the club until 30 June 2010. He was promoted to the first team for the
2008–09 season, but only made his first team debut on 18 January, in the 4–2 victory over
NEC. On 26 February, he made his
European debut during a 1–1 draw against
Fiorentina in the
UEFA Cup. Although he only made several appearances for the remainder of the season, he was awarded a new long-term contract extension until 2014. During the early stages of the
2009–10 season, Alderweireld established himself in the first team and starting XI. He became first-choice centre back along with fellow Belgian
Jan Vertonghen following the departure of former captain
Thomas Vermaelen to
Arsenal. New Ajax coach
Martin Jol praised the two defenders and kept faith in the duo after a string of good performances. During the 3–0 win against
Heracles on 4 September, he scored his first league goal for the club when he opened the scoring with a header from
Luis Suárez's corner-kick. On 27 January, he scored a late equaliser in extra time during the
KNVB Cup quarter-final against NEC;
Siem de Jong scored five minutes before the final whistle to steal a 3–2 win for Ajax. At the end of the
2009–10 season, Alderweireld was named Ajax Talent of the Year. He assured himself of a place in the Eredivisie giants' history books on 3 November 2011, heading in Ajax's 100th UEFA Champions League goal in the 2–1 Group G defeat by
Auxerre. In the
2010–11 season, he scored a stunning 25-yard strike at the
San Siro against
Champions League group rivals
Milan in a 2–0 away win. He followed this spectacular goal with an even more impressive 32-yard strike against
Feyenoord in a 2–0 home win. In the
2011–12 season, Alderweireld made significant strides in his ability as a footballer, also forming a formidable partnership in the heart of the Ajax defensive with captain and fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen. Alderweireld also showed some impressive offensive ability, scoring a remarkable goal against
Heerenveen. On 5 August 2012, during the
Johan Cruyff Shield encounter against
PSV, Alderweireld managed to score for Ajax in the 44th minute, bringing his club back within a goals difference going into halftime 2–1. It was a match Ajax would lose 4–2, making it the third Johan Cruyff Shield which Alderweireld participated in and finished as runners-up. The following
2012–13 season, however, would be a successful one, marking the third year in a row that Alderweireld would play Champions League football, and also winning his third consecutive
Eredivisie title for Ajax and 32nd overall, having played as a starting centre back for Ajax in all three championship pursuits. Alderweireld scored a further three goals that season for Ajax, including two goals during the regular season against
PEC Zwolle and
Twente, as well as scoring another goal in a 2–0 home victory against
Steaua București at the
Amsterdam Arena, in the first leg of the Round of 32 in the
2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Having been drawn into a group with
Manchester City,
Real Madrid and eventual runners-up
Borussia Dortmund during its Champions League campaign, Ajax had entered into the Europa League at the knockout phase having secured third place in their group, but failed to advance, losing in the second leg match in Romania 4–2 on penalty kicks after extra time. With one more year remaining on his contract, Alderweireld opted not to extend his contract with Ajax, subsequently receiving plenty of interest during the off-season, with
Bayer Leverkusen,
Liverpool,
Napoli and
Norwich City being mentioned as the most keen to sign the young defender.
Atlético Madrid On 2 September 2013, Alderweireld joined
Atlético Madrid on a four-year contract for an estimated €7 million (£6.16 million) transfer fee. He played 12 matches as the club won
La Liga; on 11 May, he headed his only goal of the season, an equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with
Málaga in the penultimate round of fixtures, ensuring that Atlético remained in the title race. Alderweireld played the final seven minutes and extra time of the
2014 Champions League final for Atlético in place of
Filipe Luís; the team was beating
city rival Real Madrid 1–0 when he entered the field of play, but Atlético eventually lost 1–4.
Southampton (loan) Alderweireld was sent on a season-long loan to English
Premier League side
Southampton on 1 September 2014, with the option for Southampton to buy him at the end of the season. He made his Southampton debut on 13 September, helping to keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 victory against
Newcastle United. On 26 December, he scored his first goal for the club, Southampton's third in a 3–1 away win away to
Crystal Palace by heading
James Ward-Prowse's
corner kick. Southampton had a £6.8 million option to buy Alderweireld, but in July 2015 Atlético cancelled the clause for £1.5 million in order to sell to the highest bidder. Subsequent reports claimed that Atlético failed to exercise their buy-out in time.
Tottenham Hotspur On 8 July 2015, Alderweireld joined
Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract which ran until the summer of 2020 at
White Hart Lane, despite Southampton threatening legal action over the transfer. At Spurs, he was reunited with former Ajax teammates
Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen, who previously joined the north London side from Ajax. On 30 July, Alderweireld made his club debut in the
2015 MLS All-Star Game in
Denver,
Colorado.
2015–16: First season with Spurs On 26 September, Alderweireld scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 win over Manchester City at White Hart Lane. His second goal for the club came in another 4–1 victory over
London rivals West Ham United on 22 November. On 5 March 2016, in the 183rd
North London Derby, Alderweireld scored for Tottenham in a 2–2 draw against
Arsenal. A month later, he was Spurs' second scorer in a 3–0 win against
Manchester United. During his first season at Tottenham, Alderweireld has been recognised by commentators as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, forming impressive central defensive partnerships with national team colleague Jan Vertonghen and later the Austrian
Kevin Wimmer. This form helped Tottenham to achieve the best defensive record in the
Premier League, with only 25 goals conceded from 34 games. Over the season the club had the joint-lowest number of goals conceded (35) in the Premier League. He was chosen as a centre back for the
PFA Team of the Year.
2016–2021 In the
2016–17 season, he was a regular in the Spurs starting line-up until an injury sustained at
West Bromwich Albion on 15 October. This injury kept him on the injury list for several weeks, until he made his return in the
Champions League as a substitute against
CSKA Moscow on 7 December. Alderweireld picked up the final goal of the season for Tottenham, coming in the 7–1 win over already-relegated
Hull City on 21 May 2017. He was part of the Tottenham defense that achieved the best defensive record in the club's history, with only 26 goals conceded in the Premier League this season (only 9 of which were 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. Alderweireld played in all the
Premier League and
Champions League games from the start of the
2017–18 season, but on 1 November 2017, he suffered a
hamstring injury in the home game against
Real Madrid that ended in a 3–1 win. The injury would keep him out of the team for a few months. On 7 February 2018, he returned to the starting lineup in the fourth round replay of the
FA Cup against
Newport County, which Tottenham won 2–0. However, an injury to the tendon of his hamstring suffered while training two weeks later meant that he was again out of the team. He returned to the squad in April towards the end of the season. After a season curtailed by injuries and being out of favour, Alderweireld again became a regular player for Tottenham in the
2018–19 season. In January 2019, Tottenham took up an option to extend his contract until 2020. He scored an own goal in the last minute in the tightly fought game against Liverpool, losing 2–1. On 20 December 2019, Alderweireld signed a contract extension to 2023. On 16 February 2020, Alderweireld scored his first goal for the club since May 2017, making amends for an earlier own goal, and helped Tottenham win 3–2 away to
Aston Villa. On 12 July 2020, he scored an 81st-minute winner against
Arsenal in a
North London derby to help his team to a 2–1 victory. On 2 January 2021, Alderweireld scored his first goal of the
2020–21 season in a 3–0 home win against
Leeds United.
Al-Duhail On 27 July 2021, Tottenham Hotspur announced that Alderweireld would join
Qatar Stars League club
Al-Duhail. He made 29 appearances for the side during the
2021–22 season, scoring once in the quarter-final match of their
Emir of Qatar Cup-winning campaign, a 4–1 win over
Al-Sailiya on 6 March 2022.
Royal Antwerp On 15 July 2022, Alderweireld joined
Belgian First Division A club
Royal Antwerp on a three-year deal. On 30 April 2023, Alderweireld won the Belgian Cup with Antwerp. Just over a month later, on 4 June, Alderweireld scored a goal in the 94th minute of the final match day to secure a dramatic 2–2 draw against Genk, handing Royal Antwerp their first league title in 66 years. The goal denied Genk the title themselves, and came just as
Union St-Gilloise were conceding three late goals to
Club Brugge to deny them also. On 30 August 2023, he helped the club secure a spot in the group stage of the
UEFA Champions League for the first time ever, following a 3–1 aggregate win over
AEK Athens in the play-off round. On 18 November 2024, Alderweireld announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the
2024–25 season, after retiring from international football the previous year. Alderweireld said "I can say with almost certainty that this is my last year, sometimes I'm looking forward to my retirement, but on the other hand I also have a lot of ambition to accelerate with Antwerp. I will do that for another half year. In the meantime, I'm going to try and enjoy every moment" On 16 March 2025, in the 85th minute of a 0–0 league draw away at
Standard Liège, Alderweireld sustained a quadriceps tear that sidelined him for most of the championship playoffs. Royal Antwerp put out a statement reading "Recovery from such injuries often takes a considerable period of time, which unfortunately makes Toby's appearance in the play-offs uncertain. From today on, everything is focused on his rehabilitation. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Captain!". Alderweireld put out his own statement soon after, reading "I never expected this… Right now, I don’t have the words for this. What I do know is that I will do everything I can to wear that beautiful shirt one more time. To be captain of the most beautiful club in the world one more time… It will be a tough battle against time, and I know I’m not on the winning side. I want to thank everyone for the heart-warming messages and the support I’ve received. You are all fantastic!" On 17 May 2025, Alderweireld returned to action for Antwerp during the penultimate championship playoff match against
Union Saint-Gilloise. Later that month, on 29 May, he made his final home appearance in the European competition play-off match against
Charleroi. ==International career==