Toby Alderweireld made a name for himself playing football professionally for Ajax, but when he was a young player, he really wanted to go away from Amsterdam. The Antwerp FC defender reflects on his time spent as a young player at De Toekomst in the Welcome to the AA podcast.
Toby Alderweireld describes his struggles in Ajax
Alderweireld reveals how he discovered he had above average talent, answering, “Actually, I wasn’t that talented in the past. I did get to a certain point, but not high enough to guarantee that I would succeed. I lacked that kind of talent. In order to get there, I had to start working very hard.”
Ajax knocked on the door when he was fifteen. I had to leave, I reasoned. Alderweireld compares it to the Harvard of football schools. “I reasoned that I could endure a host family. However, I wanted to return after two months. It was challenging for a considerable amount of time,” he described.
Alderweireld will always remember his debut match with Ajax, which took place in Italy. “There was a lot of pressure to perform. I had a poor first half. And the coach told the team as a whole, ‘Toby, you are so horrible.’ I was so young and alone myself in Amsterdam, I wished to return home. And I recognise that a lot of young players believe: This is not the life I want. I was eventually able to move past it. That could also be a characteristic,” he concluded.
Things, however, did not work out as expected for him in Madrid. After a brief spell, he was loaned out to Southampton, where he excelled.
However, things turned out pretty well for the defender from then on. He would go on to represent Ajax 128 times. This earned him a €7 million (£6.16 million) transfer to Atlético Madrid.
Things, however, did not work out as expected for him in Madrid. After a brief spell, he was loaned out to Southampton, where he excelled.
