'I Thought I Was Going To Die': Toby Alderweireld Reveals Why He Ended His Belgium Career

Former Belgium and Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he decided to end his international career after thinking he was “going to die”.

35-year-old Alderweireld, who still plays for Royal Antwerp in Belgian league, quit international soccer in March 2023 after winning 127 caps.

He was part of so-called “Golden Generation” of players who finished third at 2018 World Cup. He also took part in 2014 and 2022 editions.

Alderweireld said a first serious warning about his health came after a defeat in a Belgian Cup match against Union Saint-Gilloise.

“That’s why I quit Devils,” he told Belgian media VRT.

“I couldn’t sleep that night and went to club early next morning to do a strength session," he recalled. "Before I left, I took a caffeine pill because I don’t like coffee. When I was in car, my heart suddenly started beating at a rate of a thousand an hour. I thought: I’m going to have a heart attack. I’m done for, I’m never going to see my children again. I pulled over, walked into a furniture store and asked if y could call 911.”

Some time later, Alderweireld said panic took over him again, this time at night.

“It turned out that all stress me my heart pound," he told brocaster. "That gave me a panic attack, which me my heart beat even faster. You actually drive yourself crazy. And at a certain point you think you’re going to have a heart attack and die.”

Alderweireld later underwent medical examinations.

“We did extreme tests, but everything was okay," he said. "n I started talking to people and y said it was due to too much stress. Purely a panic attack. Now I still suffer from that sometimes, but I can accept that because I know it’s nothing.”