Jan Vertonghen won the Vlaamse Reus this Friday, which rewards the Flemish personality of the year. For the occasion, he also agreed to talk about the ordeal that his season has been so far.
We are at the Sacred Heart Church in Aalst, a disused church used for the occasion as a party hall. Jan Vertonghen limps up the steps. It was already a little more positive than last Saturday, when, just before his return, he twisted his ankle and tore his ligaments.
“I can already walk in a straight line and the most intense pain is gone,” he says with a slight smile. “Everything is as good as it can be now, and I hope there will be no further setbacks.” Because this setback really happened at the worst time, when he was already coming out of a long tunnel.
I thought the worst, I felt something crack
After months of struggling with his Achilles tendon, it was yet another hard blow. “In the very first training after the winter break, I actually felt great. I had done group training before, and it was a victory for me to be back with the group before the winter break,” recalls- he.
“But then, on the first day of training after the winter break, it happened. Everything was going well, until changing direction I got stuck and my foot locked up. At that point , I felt something snap, and I immediately imagined the worst. We first talked about an operation, but fortunately it wasn’t necessary. I was told it would take six to eight. weeks, but now, after six days, I already feel no more pain”, reassures the captain of the Mauves.
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Vertonghen therefore hopes to return more quickly than expected, but in all lucidity, we should only see him fully recovered for the Playoffs. “It’s really bad luck. I’ve had ankle injuries a lot, but a torn ligament was in 2017. It was quite difficult. I can’t feel my Achilles right now because I’m so focused on my ankle.”
“Even though I compensated by jumping on my right leg, this caused further pain. But I refused to stay in a wheelchair. Fortunately, this injury is easier to overcome than the Achilles tendon injury. With this injury, I experienced seven, eight, maybe even nine relapses. It was hard to find the balance between being present with the group and fulfilling my role as captain. I’ll be back.”
Anderlecht gave me the impression that they were waiting for me… I felt it like pressure
A less passionate football fan who had already won and experienced so much would have already given up everything at almost 38, but not Jan Vertonghen. “The season is still long, and I have the impression that I can still contribute in the Playoffs. But yes, I have already thought about stopping. When you suffer relapse after relapse… It’s not easy.”
And next season? Vertonghen doesn’t know yet
“I gave myself until the winter break to see if the pain got better. If it didn’t, I really should have thought about my future during the holidays. Everyone at the club supports me a lot, and they give me the impression that they are waiting for me. It was sometimes difficult, because I felt it like pressure. If each time, we suffer a relapse, it becomes mentally difficult. ‘away from it, because it affected my condition mental to constantly have to respond negatively when people asked me how I was going,” he confesses.
And after? Will he put away the crampons after this season? It seems obvious, but in reality Vertonghen hasn’t made his decision yet. “I still really enjoy being a footballer. If I could have played at the top for 6 months, it might have been easy to say to myself: ‘Why not?’. But now I have serious doubts about it “, recognizes the ex-Red Devil. “I haven’t made a decision yet, but it still seems like signs are being sent to me to make me understand that it’s time to stop. I’m even being given this award in a church (laughs)” .
If he were to stop now, Vertonghen would of course feel like too little, having already missed what could have been “the” title match last season. “I want to end my career with the feeling of having really contributed to the team. I would have loved to play this match against Beerschot, it’s a special match for me,” he emphasizes, he who was trained in Kiel. “Mats Rits even gave me a second chance by drawing the Beerschot, because I had already not been able to play in October. It could have been a perfect ending.”
Whatever the case, Jan Vertonghen is now torn between the desire to return as quickly as possible, and the need to take his time so as not to suffer any further setbacks. “I hate not being able to contribute anything on the pitch. Fredberg and Vandenhaute made me sign a performance-oriented contract, and I try to justify my salary in different ways. Of course, I also have the right to be injured, but I really want to be there for my teammates and the club,” concludes the central defender wearily.
