Jan Vertonghen

Six years at Ajax and eight years at Tottenham, that reflects the way I want to be as a footballer, I like stability and that is what Benfica offered me and that was very important for me.

Arsenal wanted me to be a controller in the midfield, an Emmanuel Petit-type.

Everyone is happy to play for Tottenham.

The position as a striker is the hardest one in the Premier League. If you look at some top, top strikers, even they struggle to score goals here.

I think Tottenham is in a very good place.

Football is always a very emotional game, and VAR is changing that a bit.

With all strikers, it's just about needing a bit of confidence.

In Champions League home games, you expect to win.

I don't want to regret anything in my career.

Ajax is the best academy in the world.

Benfica is a club of the people, with ambition domestically and in Europe and that was important to me, I really want to achieve things and Benfica has the same ambitions that I have.

If I play, even at left-back, I do my best.

Becoming champion is definitely one of the goals I want to achieve.

The interest of a great club like Barcelona is certainly flattering. That is confirmation that I am doing a good job.

I'm not going to say the Dutch league is naive but they all play to win. In the Premier League, you have teams with a different idea.

Obviously the leagues are different. The Premier League is much more competitive than the Dutch league.

Growing up in Belgium, I played football all of the time, in the garden, on the street.

The pace is unbelievable in the Premier League.

I am who I am, and I try to influence the team in my own way, especially with my performances on the pitch. If possible, I try to help the team in the dressing room as well by offering encouragement where needed.

I think I enjoy life in England because there is a lot of respect amongst the people here. People are very nice to each other - they are respectful, particularly of traditions, which I like.

I always eat the same thing on game day, or I read a book to calm myself.

At the start of my career, I had a problem focusing for 90 minutes, but that's the advantage of football: it's a team game.

It's easy to reach a certain level with chess, but it's very hard to reach the next level.

The Premier League is probably the best in the world so if you have a lot of players who play well there, it's normal that they are going to grow as players.

It took me five years to get my first trophy with Ajax but it feels like you have to win a trophy to win more and then they follow. It's just the belief you can win it.

When I won my first trophy, it was just a feeling of 'we want more.'

Losing is a tough blow to take.

I have friends who are Gent fans, and I always drive past their stadium when I go to see my grandmother.

Ajax want to get as much as they can for me, while Spurs want to pay as little as possible.

Sometimes you have to take a draw.

I was never the best player in the teams I played for. I always needed time for development.

It's difficult to gel players.

I like consistency in defenders.

In more than 10 years, I've formed three real friendships. Mousa Dembele, for example. We've known each other since we were 12, our wives are from Amsterdam, he lives in London and we both have a kid.

I'm addicted - not video games, but board games.

I love the environment at Spurs.

I'm definitely not a rebel.

When you start at Ajax and you're six or seven years old, you're in the best team in the league - always. And you have to dominate, at home and away from home. A draw is never enough. A win is never enough.

I was always a shy little guy and people in Holland are famous for having big mouths! So you've got to have a big mouth to defend yourself.

I learned how to defend myself at the OSB, not physically but with words.

I had doubts about going to Ajax because I don't like moving.

I have never fought in my life but I can be very angry, especially on the pitch.

I can be quite fiery. I was worse when I was younger but even now, when there is a bad decision from... it doesn't matter who, I sometimes want to scream.

I chose Spurs because they gave me a good feeling. I spoke to Daniel Levy and Rafael van der Vaart.

I'm not a guy who wants to push himself into the spotlight or stand out from the crowd.

It's one of my goals to play in the best leagues and against the best players.

I had a great time at Spurs and made lots of friends, and learned lots of things - perhaps even more off the pitch than on the pitch from my family at Spurs, and I will miss everyone.

I love playing in Europe.

Januzaj is someone a bit like Origi, there's no pressure and he plays like he's on the street.

I want to play as many games as possible.