INTERVIEW. Ria Mattheeuws, mum of Jan Vertonghen, about the tough road to the top: “Jan bore the grief for his dad from a distance. That’s the price he paid”

Our Red Devils are known all over the world, but success came with a price. Also with their parents, who talk here about the tough road to the top. Part 2: Ria Mattheeuws (60), mother of Jan Vertonghen (35). “The price Jan paid in his youth? That he had to bear the grief for his sick dad from a distance,” says Ria Mattheeuws, mum of Jan Vertonghen. “It will always gnaw at Jan that his dad was not allowed to experience his beautiful football career.”

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