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Toby Alderweireld shares why he left Spurs for Qatar, it wasn’t about the money

Photo by Simon Holmes/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Simon Holmes/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Toby Alderweireld (Belgium) during the football UEFA Nations League match Semifinals - Belgium vs France on October 07, 2021 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy (Photo by Claudio Benedetto/LiveMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Photo by Claudio Benedetto/LiveMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Speaking on the 433 Podcast, Toby Alderweireld has opened up on his departure from Tottenham Hotspur and his decision to join Al-Duhail in Qatar.

Alderweireld left Spurs this summer despite the fact he still had two years to run on his contract and he could have stayed.

However, according to the Belgian, he wanted to leave Spurs in order to spend more time with his family in a much more relaxed environment.

What’s Alderweireld said?

The defender shared why he decided to leave Tottenham.

“Everyone knows I enjoyed my time at Spurs, but there was a moment that I felt that I wanted to take an adventure. My agent called me to say there was an offer from Qatar and I thought ‘ok, what could this mean for me and my family’. Everyone knows if you play in Europe and for the national team, you’re always away from home, travelling and in hotels. That was a big part of my decision to see my children grow up, so that I can bring them to school and play with them, also at the end the joy for training, for football and for travelling was a little bit gone because I missed my children too much,” Alderweireld said.

Toby Alderweireld (4) of Al Duhail in action during the QNB Stars League match between Al Duhail and Al Wakrah at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on 22 January 2022.  (Photo by Simon Holmes/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Photo by Simon Holmes/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Can’t blame him

As much as we all want our footballers to be solely focused on their playing careers, there is more to life than just the sport.

Alderweireld didn’t want to stop playing, but in Qatar there is less travel to do and he can spend more time at home.

The Belgian could easily have been playing at the top-level in Europe for a few more years, but if he wants to take it easy over in Qatar, we can’t blame him at all.

TURIN, ITALY - OCTOBER 07: (BILD OUT) Toby Alderweireld of Belgium controls the ball during the UEFA Nations League Semi-Final match between the Belgium and France at Juventus Stadium on October 7, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images