Toby Alderweireld spent six years at Tottenham Hotspur before leaving them for Al-Duhail in 2021. A year later, the popular centre-back returned to Europe when he joined Royal Antwerp.
The defender was a regular during his time at Tottenham, making 236 appearances for them. Alderweireld was also a fan favourite at Spurs, largely due to his approach to the game. Prior to joining Tottenham, he had spells at Southampton, Atlético Madrid and Ajax.
Royal Antwerp will host Beerschot in their derby on Sunday. The 35-year-old and his side will start preparation for this clash from today.
Monday’s edition of Gazet van Antwerpen points out the Belgian has so far enjoyed a lot of success in various derbies.
At Tottenham, he faced Arsenal in the north London derby 11 times. The newspaper says the centre-back won five of them and settled for a draw on four occasions. He played 10 times for Ajax against Feyenoord and was on the winning side seven times.
Beerschot have returned to the Jupiler Pro League, after winning the second division last season. This allows Royal Antwerp to face their rivals in the league. The former Tottenham star is eagerly waiting for the big clash on Sunday.
“I’m very happy that I can finally experience one. I’ve played enough big matches,” he told Gazet van Antwerpen.
“Think of Ajax-Feyenoord. Not a city derby, but a very charged match. Tottenham-Arsenal and Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid, those were real city derbies. But this means more to me. In terms of importance, the Antwerp city derby cannot be surpassed.”