Jan Vertonghen: A once in a generation moment

Jan Vertonghen was ‘honoured’ to step onto the pitch in the first Premier League game at our new home.

As we opened our new stadium on Wednesday night in wintery conditions in north London, defender Jan played the full 90 minutes as we christened our return to N17 with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

It was a game that the Belgian international admits he and his team-mates couldn't wait to play in, but now he wants to make history at a stadium he regards to be up there with the best in the world – starting in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg against Manchester City.

“The opening night was very special because it’s been such a long time to get in there and a new stadium for a club is something that only happens once in a generation, both for players and supporters, so everyone is very pleased and honoured to be there,” our number five explained.

“It’s definitely up there with the best in the world. If you look at the infrastructure, the pitch, the stands and the screens and everything, it’s up there.

“As a player travelling to games, the first thing you think about is ‘what players am I going to be up against?’ and then it is, ‘what stadium am I going to be playing in?’

“But if you look at iconic stadiums like the Bernabeu, the Maracana in Brazil, the Camp Nou, the San Siro, we need time to build this history, but if you look at the way it looks, it is right up there.

“It’s now a massive game at home coming up against Manchester City. We only opened the stadium six days ago and now we’re playing a Champions League quarter-final tie in there so I’m really looking forward to it.”