Jan Vertonghen thinks there is a good chance that he will end his career at Benfica. The 34-year-old Belgian centre-back has been playing in Portugal since the summer of 2020 and does not expect to make another transfer. That would mean that Vertonghen will no longer return to Ajax, something with which he has been associated more than regularly in recent years.
“I think there is a good chance that I will end my career here. I’m 34 and I still have a little less than two years of contract. I don’t have the ambition to change clubs again and build another life. I’m fine here. Normally it stops here for me,” Vertonghen says in conversation with RTL7. Benfica took over the 132-time Belgian international transfer-free from Tottenham Hotspur more than a year ago and his contract runs until mid-2023.
“I like it very much, it’s something completely different,” Vertonghen says. “I’m lucky enough to have played for some great big clubs and this is one of those. Last year we played without an audience for a whole year, but this is really great for us. The audience is actually an extra player and I’m happy that I can experience it in such a way. I wanted to go to a club that was very ambitious, compete in the Champions League and play at the top of the competition. It all comes out here.”
Vertonghen was ninety minutes inside the lines at Benfica on Wednesday in the Champions League won 3-0 against Barcelona. “That early goal helped us a lot, so Barcelona had to come a little more. We have a lot of speed up front. Barcelona could and perhaps should have scored in the first half. In the second half we were able to defend the sixteen,” said Vertonghen. “I don’t think Barcelona is a bad team, but you can see that there are some things against it. They are in the corner where the blows fall, you just noticed that. It’s clear they struggled with our speed.”
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