Jan Vertonghen has revealed that he would love to face off against his former side Tottenham Hotspur in this season’s Champions League.
Vertonghen left Tottenham on a free transfer back in 2020 after being at the club for eight long years (BBC Sport).
He eventually joined Benfica and has been a key player in their backline ever since, already making 89 appearances for them across all competitions (Transfermarkt).
The Belgian international is widely considered to be a modern-day Spurs legend, having earned that status after forming a formidable partnership with Toby Alderweireld in central defence during their time together in N17.
The Champions League draw took place this week and saw the north London side get pitted against Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP, and Marseille in Group D, while Benfica have a challenging task against Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa in Group H.
Vertonghen expressed his desire to face off against Tottenham at some point, having played against all his former sides except the Lilywhites. The 35-year-old expects such an occasion to be a special one if he meets Spurs in the knockout rounds.
Speaking to Tottenham Hotspur’s media, Vertonghen said: “I just hope we can meet in the Champions League, that would be great, something special.
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“I’ve played against all my former clubs, so it would be nice to play against Spurs. That would be something I’d look forward to.”
“It’s another exciting start to the season, a lot to play for, so, good times! I feel good. The age is not really catching up with me, okay, maybe a bit! I feel good, I’m lucky to be able to play at the highest level in Europe.
“I hope I can play another couple of years, that’s definitely how I’m feeling, and we’ll see how it goes this season.”
Spurs Web Opinion:
Antonio Conte’s team has an ‘easier’ group compared to Benfica, considering how Vertonghen would need to help his side overcome the daunting challenge posed by PSG and Juve.
As such, the chance of a reunion between the Belgian central defender and Spurs is unlikely at the moment, although it cannot be fully ruled out just yet, especially when Benfica have already proven their capability by beating Barcelona to qualify for the knockouts last year.
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