Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld says he is ‘honoured’ by the suggestion a statue of himself should replace that of a former Belgian king in his hometown, but insists: ‘I won’t be signing my own petition!’
The statue of King Leopold II was removed from its place in Ekeren, near Antwerp, earlier this week after it was defaced and set on fire amid global protests against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd.
More than 10 million people are estimated to have died during Leopold’s colonial rule over Congo between 1885 and 1908.
Hundreds of local residents have subsequently signed a petition to have a statue of Alderweireld, who was part of the Belgian side that produced the country’s best ever World Cup performance when finishing third in Russia in 2018, erected instead.
In Pictures | Tottenham vs Norwich friendly | 12/06/2020
“I was laughing,” Alderweireld told The Guardian. “I thought it was some kind of joke, that people are actually signing the petition.
“I have to say I’m a little bit honoured as well. It’s a small town in Belgium and until I was 15 I spent my youth there. I went to school there and I still go back.
“If they really wanted to I would never say no because I would be honoured, but I will not sign my own petition. Of all the people who have, I think about 80% are my friends.”
