Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɑldərˌʋeːrəlt];[3] born 2 March 1989) is a Belgian former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back.
Alderweireld began his professional career at Dutch clubAjax, where he won honours including three consecutiveEredivisie titles. In 2013, he moved toAtlético Madrid, where he wonLa Liga and reached theUEFA Champions League final in his first season. After a year on loan atSouthampton, he moved toTottenham Hotspur in 2015 and once again reached the Champions League final in2019. He left Tottenham in 2021, having made 236 official appearances in all competitions, to joinAl-Duhail. After one season in Qatar, he returned to Belgium and signed for his hometown clubRoyal Antwerp, winning theBelgian Pro League in his first season there and scoring the title-winning goal, before retiring from football in 2025.
Born inAntwerp,[4] Alderweireld moved toAjax'syouth academy in August 2004 fromGerminal Beerschot. On 22 February 2007, he signed his first professional contract, tying him to the club until 30 June 2010.[5] He was promoted to the first team for the2008–09 season, but only made his first team debut on 18 January, in the 4–2 victory overNEC.[6] On 26 February, he made hisEuropean debut during a 1–1 draw againstFiorentina in theUEFA Cup.[7] Although he only made several appearances for the remainder of the season, he was awarded a new long-term contract extension until 2014.[8]
Alderweireld with Ajax
During the early stages of the2009–10 season, Alderweireld established himself in the first team and starting XI. He became first-choice centre back along with fellow BelgianJan Vertonghen following the departure of former captainThomas Vermaelen toArsenal.[9] New Ajax coachMartin Jol praised the two defenders and kept faith in the duo after a string of good performances.[10][11] During the 3–0 win againstHeracles on 4 September, he scored his first league goal for the club when he opened the scoring with a header fromLuis Suárez's corner-kick.[12] On 27 January, he scored a late equaliser in extra time during theKNVB Cupquarter-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 the2009–10 season, Alderweireld was named Ajax Talent of the Year.[13] 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 byAuxerre.[14] In the2010–11 season, he scored a stunning 25-yard strike at theSan Siro againstChampions League group rivalsMilan in a 2–0 away win. He followed this spectacular goal with an even more impressive 32-yard strike againstFeyenoord in a 2–0 home win.In the2011–12 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 againstHeerenveen.
On 5 August 2012, during theJohan Cruyff Shield encounter againstPSV, 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 following2012–13 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 consecutiveEredivisie 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 againstPEC Zwolle andTwente, as well as scoring another goal in a 2–0 home victory againstSteaua București at theAmsterdam Arena, in the first leg of the Round of 32 in the2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Having been drawn into a group withManchester City,Real Madrid and eventual runners-upBorussia 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.
Alderweireld with Ajax teammates in 2011
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, withBayer Leverkusen,Liverpool,Napoli andNorwich City being mentioned as the most keen to sign the young defender.[15][16]
On 2 September 2013, Alderweireld joinedAtlético Madrid on a four-year contract for an estimated €7 million (£6.16 million) transfer fee.[17][18] He played 12 matches as the club wonLa Liga; on 11 May, he headed his only goal of the season, an equaliser in a 1–1 home draw withMálaga in the penultimate round of fixtures, ensuring that Atlético remained in the title race.[19] Alderweireld played the final seven minutes and extra time of the2014 Champions League final for Atlético in place ofFilipe Luís; the team was beatingcity rival Real Madrid 1–0 when he entered the field of play, but Atlético eventually lost 1–4.[20]
Alderweireld was sent on a season-long loan to EnglishPremier League sideSouthampton on 1 September 2014, with the option for Southampton to buy him at the end of the season.[21][22] He made his Southampton debut on 13 September, helping to keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 victory againstNewcastle United.[23] On 26 December, he scored his first goal for the club, Southampton's third in a 3–1 away win away toCrystal Palace by headingJames Ward-Prowse'scorner kick.[24]
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.[25]
On 8 July 2015, Alderweireld joinedTottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract which ran until the summer of 2020 atWhite Hart Lane, despite Southampton threatening legal action over the transfer.[26] At Spurs, he was reunited with former Ajax teammatesChristian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen, who previously joined the north London side from Ajax. On 30 July, Alderweireld made his club debut in the2015 MLS All-Star Game inDenver,Colorado.[27]
On 26 September, Alderweireld scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 win over Manchester City at White Hart Lane.[28] His second goal for the club came in another 4–1 victory overLondon rivalsWest Ham United on 22 November.[29] On 5 March 2016, in the 183rdNorth London Derby, Alderweireld scored for Tottenham in a 2–2 draw againstArsenal.[30] A month later, he was Spurs' second scorer in a 3–0 win againstManchester United.[31]
During his first season at Tottenham, Alderweireld has been recognised by commentators as one of the best defenders in the Premier League,[32][33] forming impressive central defensive partnerships with national team colleague Jan Vertonghen[34][35][36] and later the AustrianKevin Wimmer.[37] This form helped Tottenham to achieve the best defensive record in thePremier League, with only 25 goals conceded from 34 games.[38] Over the season the club had the joint-lowest number of goals conceded (35) in the Premier League.[39] He was chosen as a centre back for thePFA Team of the Year.[40]
In the2016–17 season, he was a regular in the Spurs starting line-up until an injury sustained atWest Bromwich Albion on 15 October.[41] This injury kept him on the injury list for several weeks,[42] until he made his return in theChampions League as a substitute againstCSKA Moscow on 7 December.[43] Alderweireld picked up the final goal of the season for Tottenham, coming in the 7–1 win over already-relegatedHull City on 21 May 2017.[44] 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 the1908–09 season in theSecond Division.[45]
Alderweireld played in all thePremier League andChampions League games from the start of the2017–18 season, but on 1 November 2017, he suffered ahamstring injury in the home game againstReal Madrid that ended in a 3–1 win.[46] The injury would keep him out of the team for a few months.[47] On 7 February 2018, he returned to the starting lineup in the fourth round replay of theFA Cup againstNewport County, which Tottenham won 2–0.[48] However, an injury to the tendon of his hamstring suffered while training two weeks later meant that he was again out of the team.[49] He returned to the squad in April towards the end of the season.[50][51]
After a season curtailed by injuries and being out of favour, Alderweireld again became a regular player for Tottenham in the2018–19 season. In January 2019, Tottenham took up an option to extend his contract until 2020.[52] He scored an own goal in the last minute in the tightly fought game against Liverpool, losing 2–1.[53]
On 20 December 2019, Alderweireld signed a contract extension to 2023.[54] 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 toAston Villa.[55] On 12 July 2020, he scored an 81st-minute winner againstArsenal in aNorth London derby to help his team to a 2–1 victory.[56]
On 15 July 2022, Alderweireld joinedBelgian First Division A clubRoyal Antwerp on a three-year deal.[61] 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 asUnion St-Gilloise were conceding three late goals toClub Brugge to deny them also.[62][63]
On 30 August 2023, he helped the club secure a spot in the group stage of theUEFA Champions League for the first time ever, following a 3–1 aggregate win overAEK Athens in the play-off round.[64]
On 18 November 2024, Alderweireld announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the2024–25 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"[65]
On 16 March 2025, in the 85th minute of a 0–0 league draw away atStandard 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!"[66]
On 17 May 2025, Alderweireld returned to action for Antwerp during the penultimate championship playoff match againstUnion Saint-Gilloise.[67] Later that month, on 29 May, he made his final home appearance in the European competition play-off match againstCharleroi.[68][69][70]
On 13 May 2014, Alderweireld was named in the squad to go to the2014 FIFA World Cup.[71] He started in all five games of Belgium's tournament run, including its 1–0 defeat againstArgentina in the quarter-finals.[72] In the2018 FIFA World Cup, he won a bronze medal with Belgium after a 2–0 win overEngland.[73] On 8 September 2020, Alderweireld played his 100th match for Belgium in a 5–1 win againstIceland.[74]
On 6 March 2023, he announced his retirement from international football.[75]
Alderweireld married Shani Van Mieghem inEkeren,Antwerp on 19 June 2015.[76] They had their first child Ayla born in September 2018.[77] His son Jace was born in February 2020.[78]
In 2025, Alderweireld took part in the fifth season of the Belgian editon of the reality singing competition seriesThe Masked Singer, performing as Oehoe the Owl and being unmasked in the third episode.[79]
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