Tottenham Hotspur favourite Toby Alderweireld has detailed how he had two weeks of hell at the club due to the birth of one of his children.
Voetbal Primeur report comments from the former defender today. He was speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws about his own decisions as debate rises over Jeremy Doku.
Alderweireld knows Doku situation well
The Manchester City winger is currently at the World Cup with Belgium. But he must decide whether or not to fly home for the birth of his first child, which is imminent.
It’s a tough decision, to say the least, particularly with a flight home from the tournament hardly a short haul jaunt. Toby Alderweireld knows what it’s like to face such a decision. He faced a similar situation during his own career, leading to a nightmarish situation at Tottenham.
He recalled the birth of his son, Jace, and how it led to “insane” decisions and problems at Tottenham not long afterwards.
“Both Ayla’s and Jace’s births were induced in Belgium, which meant I was definitely able to be there,” he explained.
“And thank goodness for that. Those two births remain two of the most beautiful moments of my life.
“Ayla was born during an international break, and that meant spending little time with her.
“I had to report back to the Red Devils just one day later. In the next match – a friendly against Scotland – I was still on the bench.”
Crazy Tottenham effort
According to the former defender, it was “crazier” with Jace.
“We were playing against Aston Villa with Tottenham at the weekend, so I had to get back to England as quickly as possible.
“Normally I would have flown in a private jet, but a storm meant we couldn’t take off. In the end, I had to travel all the way to Birmingham by a series of trains and taxis.
“To make matters worse, I scored an own goal ten minutes into that match. Luckily, I made up for it by scoring a goal myself later on. (chuckles)
“Looking back on it now, I sometimes think: ‘Come on, Toby, shouldn’t you have stood your ground a bit more? Did you really have to go to Scotland? Did you really have to play against Aston Villa?’”
