Toby Alderweireld was a fan favourite and a key Tottenham player for a number of years, before he made the move away from north London to Qatar.
The defender made more than 200 appearances for Spurs during his six years in N17 and now players for Al-Duhail, who currently sit second in the Qatar Stars League.
The 32-year-old made the move across the world just over a year ago to enjoy a new life with his family, which now involves fewer games and means a bit more freedom.
Alderweireld is enjoying his new life in Doha, Qatar's capital city, in a place which provides good education and a welcoming place for his family to live.
The 32-year-old joined the Ajax academy at 15 and hasn't been home since. During his time in Amsterdam he became home sick but when speaking on the 433: The Home of Football podcast earlier this month, he explained why that helped him in the long run.
"It made me better, made me very mature at a young age," he admitted. "When I got in the first team, I was ready to compete.
"I had to fight from a young age to, I wouldn't say to survive, but a little bit in my head to survive."
The defender went on to explain the sacrifices that he and so many other footballers make in their career but how he has always had to work hard to get to where he is.
"Not everyone has the talent of [Lionel] Messi, for example, who can do whatever they want and they’re just that good," Alderweireld admitted. "For me, I need to work very, very hard to get to this level and to stay for so many years at this level."
The former Lilywhites man also looked back on his time at Tottenham and the 32-year-old revealed why he left N17.
"Everyone knows I enjoyed my time at Spurs but I think there was a moment that I felt, if there's a moment in my career that I want to take an adventure, it was now," he explained.
"My agent called me to say there was an offer from Qatar and then you think 'okay, what would it mean for me and my family?' Because like everyone knows, if you play, not only the competition you play in Europe and you play for your national team, you're always away from home.
"That was a big part of my decision, to see my children grow up," Alderweireld added, as he said he is now able to take his children to school before training and it has given him the option of spending more time with them and watch them as they grow.
"At the end a little bit of enjoyment for football, for training and travelling was a little bit gone because I miss my my children too much," he admitted.
The former Ajax player explained that he could have stopped playing for his country but he didn't want to do that as he takes a lot of pride in playing for Belgium.
The defender explained that the transfer happened quite quickly and although he spoke to Daniel Levy, who thanked Alderweireld and wished him the best, he wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone and went straight from the holiday he was on, to his new home country.
The 32-year-old has already made 15 appearances for Al-Duhail, making the starting line-up in all games he has featured in and played 90 minutes in their victory against Al Khor on Tuesday, which has taken them through to the quarter finals of the Emir Cup.
The Belgium international explained what it is like, playing in the league in Qatar.
"Of course it's not the Premier League but I think they make a lot of big steps, especially when they knew they got the World Cup," he explained. "They invest a lot in youth and the academy and in infrastructure as well and you see this is coming out now because you see players with good techniques, players who understand the game and they have international players as well."
Alderweireld has a tattoo which reads 'everyday I come closer to the home where I was born' which refers to when he left home and the fact that once he retires, he will move back to Belgium with his family, where his new home is already being built.
He explained that once his retirement does happen and he moves back to his home country, that is where he'll stay.
"I'm going to enjoy my family," the defender said. "To be able to spontaneously do something. Everything is arranged in schedules [at the moment]."
He added that he is looking forward to just being able to do what he wants, when he wants but for now, his focus will be doing as well as he can for his new team.
