One of our great players of the modern era, Jan was back in N17 for a weekend of nostalgia with his family that included a trip up the Dare Skywalk, speaking to his adoring fans at half-time and watching us come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Manchester City - and an exclusive interview for us with presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines.
One of only 17 players to reach 200-plus appearances for us in the Premier League and one of only 10 to make over 50 appearances for us in Europe, Jan is also Belgium's record appearance maker with 157 caps between 2007-2024, including winning bronze at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Forming a formidable central defensive partnership with compatriot Toby Alderweireld, Jan made 120 appearances of a possible 152 as we finished third, runners-up, third and fourth in the Premier League between 2015/16 and 2018/19. He also started 10 of 13 matches as we reached the UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool in 2019, producing one of the great performances topped with a goal as we beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the Round of 16, first leg at Wembley.
Jan signed off with appearance 315 against Newcastle during the Premier League's return in the 2020 COVID pandemic at St James’ Park on 15 July, 2020. Sadly, there were no fans at his final matches in Lilywhite – making his appearance at half-time with Paul Coyte all the more special.
After Spurs, he had spells at Benfica - where he won the Primeira Liga title in 2022/23 - and Anderlecht, where he played for two seasons before retiring at the end of 2024/25.
Watch | 2016/17 team in full flow...
Do you remember a period when you think we were at our best?
Jan: “I do. It was not the year when we went to the Champions League final. That was 2019. I would say it was around 2016/17 and when we just went on the pitch, it was not the question of if we were going to win the game, but just how much. We really felt unbeatable. It took us a couple of games to get that same feeling at Wembley. At the end, we went there and created that same feeling. It was not our own stadium, but we made it our own. We had a season where we went unbeaten at home. It was the best team, the best spirit and the best physical team I've ever played in.”
You say about that feeling of ‘we're going to win today’, but it didn't feel arrogant, it felt like that was a side that was supremely confident…
Jan: “I don't think we came across as arrogant, ever. If I speak to people who are not particularly fans of Spurs, or even rivals, I'm not saying that's a good thing - everyone liked us - but we didn't have ‘dogs’ or whatever in that team. We were still a very aggressive and entertaining team to watch, very physical, but very attacking and great, great players as well.”
Coming tomorrow...
Part 3 | Battle of the Bridge!