Toby Alderweireld says he was told he was “so bad” by a coach when he first joined Ajax.
The Belgian international joined the Dutch club at the age of 15 and went on to enjoy a huge amount of success there, playing over 100 matches and earning himself a move to Atletico Madrid.
Things didn’t start off so well though with his coach telling him he was a bad player when he played his first matches for the youth team, and he says that made him want to leave the club.
“I played a not-so-good first half, after which the coach said to the whole group: ‘Toby, you are so bad,'” he told the Welcome to the AA podcast.
“I was alone in Amsterdam at such a young age. I wanted to go home. I understand young players thinking: ‘I don’t want this life.‘
“In the end, I could get over it. Maybe that’s also a kind of quality.”
