Eric Dier names two Tottenham stars who served as mentors to his Premier League career
Eric Dier has shed light on two players who had a major influence on his development during his early Tottenham days, offering a glimpse into the voices that shaped his long Premier League career.
Eric Dier is one of over 60 former Tottenham players who went elsewhere to lift silverware, after having won his first major piece of honour with Bayern Munich following their Bundesliga league win last season.
The Englishman spent nine seasons at Hotspur Way and was even part of the Tottenham side that lost the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool back in 2019.
After nine seasons and over 300 games as a Tottenham player, Dier completed his move to Bayern Munich in 2024, initially on loan under Thomas Tuchel, before the move was made permanent later that year.
Eric Dier names Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld as key Spurs influences
Of course, given the length of Dier’s career, the 31-year-old has worked with loads of top players both at Bayern Munich and Tottenham.
Nice-Matin published an interview with Eric Dier (as relayed by Sport Witness), who spoke about some of the best moments in his career, where he mentioned his title win with Bayern Munich as the best moment so far.
The versatile centre-back also spoke to the French outlet about how former Tottenham duo Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld helped him improve his game when asked about his childhood idols.
“As a child, I did not have a football idol, but I really liked Nemanja Vidic, Gerard Pique, and Rafael Marquez when he was at Barcelona,” he said.
“When I turned professional, I kept what the other defenders instilled in me. At Tottenham, when I was younger, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld taught me a lot.
“At Bayern Munich last year, coach Vincent Kompany helped me a lot with details, whether it was positioning, finding solutions with the ball, or movement. He played in that position and was a great player, so he taught me a lot.”
Dier now continues his career as a professional footballer at Monaco, following a brief stint in Germany, which lasted for little over a year.
Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were vital to Tottenham’s best backline
Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are arguably the best centre-back partnership Tottenham have had in recent years.
Both players gave their prime years marshalling things at the back for Spurs before moving on as the years went by.
The pair have since both retired from professional football, with Jan Vertonghen retiring after playing his final game for Anderlecht, while Alderweireld announced that he would be retiring after his final game for Royal Antwerp.
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