“More than at Tottenham” – Defender reveals huge pressure of winning trophy at current club

After six years with Tottenham, Toby Alderweireld decided to leave the Premier League for good in 2021 and head to Al-Duhail SC in Qatar.

His time there only lasted for just under a year before he returned to Europe, joining Antwerp SC in his home country of Belgium.

He’s been there for a year and a half now, and he has helped the club maintain their good form in the league, as they currently sit third after 27 games.

The former Tottenham defender has taken on a lot of responsibility since joining, and that’s something he’s glad to do, even if it means more eyes are on him and it translates to more pressure.

He spoke about it in an interview with HLN in Belgium, where he compared his time at Antwerp to what he felt like at Spurs, with both clubs enduring something of a trophy drought.

He said, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, ahead of the second leg of the Belgian Cup against Union Saint-Gilloise: “I do feel that responsibility, more than at Tottenham. I want to make the city and the club proud. It would be a disappointment to have to stop here in a few years without a trophy. That’s why I put a certain pressure on myself, sometimes maybe even a little too much.”

During his time at Tottenham, the centre-back never managed to lift a trophy, only ever reaching one final, which was during the 2018-19 Champions League final.

He made 236 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, scoring nine goals and picking up five assists.