Former Belgian international and Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has disclosed that he chose to retire from international football after experiencing severe health concerns that led him to believe he was close to death.
The 35-year-old currently plays for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian league and announced his retirement from international duty in March 2023, having earned 127 caps for his country.
Alderweireld was a key member of Belgium’s impressive “Golden Generation,” which achieved a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, and he also participated in the 2014 and 2022 tournaments.
He revealed that his health issues became apparent following a disappointing loss in a Belgian Cup match against Union Saint-Gilloise.
“That’s part of why I decided to stop playing for the national team,” Alderweireld explained in an interview with Belgian media VRT.
He recounted a particularly harrowing experience one night after the match, stating that he had trouble sleeping and arrived at the club early the following morning for a strength training session. To help energize himself, he took a caffeine supplement before getting into his car. However, he suddenly experienced a rapid heartbeat, feeling as if he was facing an imminent heart attack. Frightened, he pulled over, entered a nearby furniture store, and requested assistance to call emergency services.
Not long after this incident, Alderweireld found himself in a similar state of distress during the night. “It turned out that all the stress was causing my heart to race,” he explained. “That led to a panic attack, which only accelerated my heartbeat further. It’s a vicious cycle in your mind, and you genuinely start to believe you’re about to die from a heart attack.”
Following these events, Alderweireld sought medical advice and underwent comprehensive health assessments.
“We conducted extensive tests, and fortunately, everything checked out fine,” he shared. “Then I spoke to various people who explained that my experiences were primarily due to excessive stress—just panic attacks. Although I still occasionally experience some anxiety, I’ve reached a point where I can accept it, knowing that there’s nothing physically wrong.”