Top facts about Toby Alderweireld

Toby Albertine Maurits Alderweireld is a Belgian professional football player who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the 

national team as well. He is primarily a centre back, but he can also play as a right back.

Toby Alderweireld started his professional career at Dutch club Ajax, where he won trophies including three successive Eredivisie titles., He joined Atletico Madrid in 2013, where he won La Liga and reached the UEFA Champions League final in his first season at the club. After he played on loan for

for a year, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 and once again reached the Champions League final in 2019, where he lost for the second.

Toby Alderweireld has been a an international player since 2009 and has played more than 100 matches for Belgium and represented the nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Top facts about Toby Alderweireld

Now let’s start with

top facts about Toby Alderweireld

, from his childhood to his professional career as a football player.  We are sure that the top facts about Toby Alderweireld’s life are quite interesting.

Toby Alderweireld information

• Name in home country:

  Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld

• Date of birth:

  March 2, 1989

• Place of birth:

  Wilrijk, Belgium

• Age:

  32

• Height:

  1,86 m

• Citizenship:

   Belgium

• Position:

  Defender - Centre-Back

• Foot:

  Right

• Player agent:

  Stirr Associates

• Current club:

   Tottenham Hotspur

• Joined the current club:

  July 8, 2015

• Contract expires:

  June 30, 2023

• Date of last contract extension:

  December 20, 2019

• Outfitter:

  Nike

Social-Media:

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Toby Alderweireld Childhood

As mentioned before, one of the

top facts about Toby Alderweireld

is that his full name is Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld. He was born on the 2nd March 1989 in Wilrijk, Belgium. Toby Alderweireld’ parents were Mr and Mrs Viv Alderweireld and he grew up with his brothers, Steve and Sven Alderweireld.

Toby Alderweireld during his childhood possessed a strong willpower to make his dreams come true and his ambitions to be a professional football player were not only a short-lived fancy. He spent a large part of his life away from his homeland, leaving his family for many years in order to follow a career at the highest level.

Toby Alderweireld said about his difficult years, “I have not been able to celebrate Christmas or New Year with my family since I was 15. I seldom see them if at all. I miss every special family moment, and after 12 years it is starting to weigh on me. Footballers have a fantastic life, but money does not make everything good. Not everything is for sale.”

Toby Alderweireld Career

One of the facts about Toby Alderweireld is that he moved to Ajax's youth academy in August 2004 from Germinal Beerschot. On 22 February 2007, he signed his first professional contract, meaning that he would stay at the the club until 30 June 2010. 

In 2008–09 season he was promoted to the Ajax first team and made his first appearance for the first team team on 18 January, in the 4–2 win over NEC. On 26 February, he played his first European match during a 1–1 draw against Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup. Although he only made several appearances for the remainder of the season, the club offered him a new long-term contract extension until 2014.

During the early matches of the 2009–10 season, Alderweireld proved himself in the first team and starting line-up. He became the first-choice centre back along with fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen after former captain Thomas Vermaelen left Ajax to join Arsenal. New Ajax manager  Martin Jol admired the two defenders and trusted in the duo after a number of noble performances. 

During the 3–0 victory over Heracles on 4 September, he netted his first league goal for the team when he opened the scoring with a header from Luis Suárez's corner-kick. On 27 January, he netted a late equaliser in extra time during the KNVB Cup quarter-final against NEC. Eventually, Siem de Jong scored another gaol five minutes before the final whistle to achieve a 3–2 win for Ajax. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Toby Alderweireld was named Ajax Talent of the Year. 

He guaranteed himself of a place in the Ajax history 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 magnificent 25-yard goal at the San Siro against Champions League group opponents Milan in a 2–0 away victory. He followed this spectacular goal with an even more impressive 32-yard goal against Feyenoord in a 2–0 home victory.

In the 2011–12 season, Toby Alderweireld took significant steps in his ability as a football player, also forming a tough partnership in the heart of the Ajax defensive with captain and fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen. Toby Alderweireld also showed some remarkable attacking skills, scoring a remarkable goal against Heerenveen.

On 5 August 2012, during the Johan Cruyff Shield match against PSV, Alderweireld succeeded to score for Ajax in the 44th minute, bringing his club back within a goals difference going into halftime 2–1. Unluckily, Ajax lost the game 4–2, making it the third Johan Cruyff Shield which Alderweireld finished as runners-up.

The 2012–13 season, nevertheless, was a prosperous one, marking the third consecutive year that Alderweireld would play at UEFA Champions League matches, and also winning his third successive Eredivisie title for Ajax and 32nd overall, having played as a starting centre back for Ajax in all three championship competition.

Toby Alderweireld scored three goals that season for Ajax, including two goals during the regular season against PEC Zwolle and Twente, as well as netting another goal in a 2–0 home win 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 stage having secured third place in their group, but was unsuccessful to advance, losing in the second leg match in Romania 4–2 on penalty shoot-outs after extra time.

While one more year remaining on his contract, Alderweireld chose not to extend his contract with Ajax, consequently he received plenty of interest during the holidays from big clubs including Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Napoli and Norwich City which were the most interested teams to sign the young defender.

Toby Alderweireld at Atletico Madrid and Southampton

One of the top facts about Toby Alderweireld is that on 2 September 2013, Toby Alderweireld joined 

 on a four-year contract for an estimated €7 million transfer fee. He played 12 games as the team won La Liga.

On 11 May, he scored with a header his only goal of the season, an equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with Malaga in the one before the last match of fixtures, ensuring that Atletico Madrid remained in the title race. Toby 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 its opponent Real Madrid 1–0 when he entered the field of play, but Atletico Madrid ultimately lost 1–4.

Toby 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 first appearance on 13 September, helping to keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 win against Newcastle United. On 26 December, he netted his first goal for the team, Southampton's third in a 3–1 away victory away over 

 by heading James Ward-Prowse's corner kick.

Southampton had a £6.8 million choice to buy Toby Alderweireld, but in July 2015 Atletico Madrid cancelled the clause for £1.5 million in order to sell to the highest buyer. Following reports claimed that Atletico Madrid failed to exercise their buy-out in time.

Toby Alderweireld at Tottenham Hotspur

One of the top facts about Toby Alderweireld Toby is about joining Tottenham Hotspur. On 8 July 2015, Toby Alderweireld joined Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract which runs until the summer of 2020 at the club, despite the fact that Southampton threatened legal action over the transfer. 

At Tottenham Hotspur, he was reunited with two of his former Ajax teammates Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen, who had previously joined the team from Ajax. On 30 July, he played the first match for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game in Denver, Colorado. During a 2–1 defeat, Toby Alderweireld started the match and was replaced by Federico Fazio after 62 minutes.

In 2015–16 season, on 26 September, Toby Alderweireld netted his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur in a 4–1 victory over Manchester City at White Hart Lane. His second goal for the team came in another 4–1 win over West Ham United on 22 November. On 5 March 2016, in the 183rd North London Derby, Toby Alderweireld netted for Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–2 draw against Arsenal. One month later, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 win against Manchester United.

During his first season at Tottenham Hotspur, Toby Alderweireld has been known by commentators as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, forming remarkable central defensive partnerships with Jan Vertonghen, and later the Austrian player Kevin Wimmer.

It helped

to attain the best defensive record in the Premier League, with only 25 goals conceded from 34 matches. Spurs had the joint-lowest number of goals conceded (35) in the Premier League over the season. At the end of the season, Toby Alderweireld was chosen as a centre back for the PFA Team of the Year.

In the 2016–17 season, he was a fixed player in the Tottenham Hotspur starting line-up until he suffered from an injury at West Bromwich Albion in October. He was injured for several weeks, until he returned in the UEFA Champions League match as a substitute against CSKA Moscow on 7 December. Toby Alderweireld scored the final goal of the season for Tottenham Hotspur in the 7–1 victory over already-relegated Hull City on 21 May 2017. 

was part of the defense of Tottenham that achieved the best defensive record in the club's history. They only conceded 26 goals in the Premier League this season. Only 9 of the goals were conceded in home league matches, 6 better than the previous record of 32 conceded that was set in the 1908–09 season in the Second Division. 

In 2017–18 season, Toby Alderweireld played in all the Premier League and Champions League matches from the start of the  season, but on 1 November 2017, he suffered a hamstring injury in the home match against Real Madrid that ended in a 3–1 victory. 

The injury caused him to stay out of the team for a few months. He returned to the starting lineup in the fourth round replay of the FA Cup against Newport County on 7 February 2018, in which Tottenham gained a 2–0 victory. Though, two weeks later, an injury to the tendon of his hamstring suffered while training and he was out of the team again. He returned to the team in April at the final weeks of the season.

In this season, negotiations between Toby Alderweireld’s agents and the Tottenham Hotspur management have been futile in early 2018 for the reasons he felt must be satisfied.

Toby Alderweireld wanted a huge increase in his salary. In early 2018, he earned about €60,000 a week but wanted significant rise of his salary to €140,000 claiming that his salaries must be closer to the highest-paid defender in the Premier League, Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool.

In 2018–19 season , after a season that he could not play due to injuries and being out of the team, Toby Alderweireld again became a regular player for Tottenham Hotspur. In January 2019, Tottenham took up an option to extend his contract until 2020. 

He was unfortunate to scored an own goal in the last minute in the difficult match against Liverpool and eventually they lost 2–1. Tottenham Hotspur reached the final match of the UEFA Champions League and Alderweireld lost his second final against Liverpool 2-0.

In 2019–20 season, Toby Alderweireld signed a contract extension to 2023. On 16 February 2020, Alderweireld netted his first goal for the club since May 2017 after he scored an own goal and helped Tottenham victory 3–2 away over Aston Villa. On 12 July 2020, he scored an 81st-minute winner goal against Arsenal in a North London derby to help his club to a 2–1 victory.

In 2020–21 season, , Alderweireld scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 home victory over Leeds United on 2 January 2021.

Toby Alderweireld at Belgium national team

One of the Top facts about Toby Alderweireld is that he first played for Belgium at under-17 level in October 2005 and took part in the 2006 UEFA U17 Championship. After the end of 2008–09 season, he made his senior fist appearance for Belgium in a friendly tournament, Kirin Cup, against Chile on 29 May 2009. Nevertheless, his full debut for the senior team came three months later in a game against the Czech Republic.

Toby Alderweireld was named in 2010 World Cup qualifying squads, but he rarely played as a substitute. He came on as a second-half substitute for Daniel Van Buyten in the 2–0 defeat to Estonia in October 2009.

Toby Alderweireld was called up to the Belgian U21 team for the 2011 UEFA U21 Championship qualifier against Ukraine on 13 November 2009, with the game finishing 2–0 to Ukraine. He was a right back during the 2012 UEFA Euro qualification game against Turkey on 7 September 2010.

One of the top facts about Toby Alderweireld is that he was named in the Belgium national team to go to the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 13 May 2014. He started in all five matches of Belgium's tournament, including the 1–0 defeat against Argentina in the quarter-finals.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he won a bronze medal with Belgium national team after a 2–0 victory over England. On 8 September 2020, Toby Alderweireld played his 100th match for Belgium in a 5–1 win against Iceland.

Toby Alderweireld family, wife and children

One of the

top facts about Toby Alderweireld

 is that his family is from a strong Catholic and middle-class family background. His mother and father are live in Antwerp, which is 45 kilometers from Brussels, capital of Belgium. Toby remains fully committed to his family especially his mother behind the eyes of the media.

Toby Alderweireld is like a godfather to his oldest brother’s twins. Unfortunately, he was not there when they were born or for any of their birthdays. Toby Alderweireld’s brother Sven works for the police force in the Belgian capital.

One of the top facts about Toby Alderweireld relationship is that started his relationship on the playground with his childhood sweetheart named Shani Van Mieghem.

They have a true love in their relationship. Toby has once reminded that one of his initial childhood memories which was stating his love for Shani and believing they could get married someday.

Shani Van Mieghem is a qualified beautician. So, she worked for a television show which was about make-up and cosmetics. Just like Toby, Shani is from Belgium. She has gone with her husband anywhere he has continued his career including the Netherlands and subsequently England and Spain).

Shani Van Mieghem married Toby Alderweireld in the summer of 2015. They first in organized a civil ceremony at the Ekeren town hall Belgium, and then held a church wedding in the Antwerp cathedral. Their first child Ayla was born in September 2018. Toby Alderweireld’s son Jace was born in February 2020.

Shani van Mieghem is does not like likes to be in the spotlights, unlike other footballer’s wives. She has a Facebook account and an Instagram-profile and doesn’t care about having such. Also, in spite of the fact that she is a beautician, Shani is not interested in having interviews to help her career and life as a wife of a football player.

Neverthless, they have had some problems in their life when they were threatened by a hacker who broke into their email accounts. This made the couple to ask the help of a cyber-security professional with an ethical hacking experience.

Today,

and Shani Van Mieghem have completely found their happiness. Apart from riding horses, both of them love playing with Dolphins.

Toby Alderweireld personal characteristics

Toby Alderweireld has the following characteristics to his personality.

Strength points: He is sympathetic, creative, instinctive, kind, intelligent, and harmonious.

Weakness points: He could be fearful, naïve, sad, and have a tendecy to escape reality.

Toby likes being alone with his wife, sleeping, music, love, visual media, swimming, mystical subjects.

What Toby hates people who claim they know everything, being criticized, anything that disturbs him and brutality of any kind.

Accordingly, Toby Alderweireld is very sociable and so often finds himself in a group of very different people. Toby is unselfish and is always willing to help others, while he does not expect to get anything back.

Toby Alderweireld achievements

Ajax

• Eredivisie in 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13

• KNVB Cup in 2009–10

• Johan Cruyff Shield in 2013

Atletico Madrid

• La Liga in 2013–14

• UEFA Champions League runner-up in 2013–14

Tottenham Hotspur

• UEFA Champions League runner-up in 2018–19

Belgium

• FIFA World Cup third place in 2018

Individual

• Ajax Talent of the Year in 2010

• PFA Team of the Year in 2015–16 Premier League

• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season in 2015–16

• Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year in 2015–16

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