Legends

A raft of Tottenham Hotspur legends have littered the north London club’s esteemed history stretching back to 1882. Several of Spurs’ greats have also secured silverware in their squad.

Icons of the game have often donned a Spurs shirt throughout Tottenham’s history as a club, from Jimmy Greaves to Glenn Hoddle. The former was an integral cog in their dominant side of the 1960s. While the latter helped add yet further honours to Tottenham’s trophy cabinet.

Modern-day heroes also feature among the top 10 Tottenham Hotspur legends of all time in Harry Kane and Ledley King. As well as emerging from Tottenham’s academy to become the England captain, Kane overtook Greaves as Spurs’ all-time top goalscorer in February 2023.

Jimmy Greaves

Not only is Greaves one of the top 10 Tottenham Hotspur legends of all time but the striker is one of the greatest forwards to grace the sport. The attacker produced a record-breaking career not just in north London but also from his early days emerging with Chelsea aged 17.

Greaves set the world alight with the Blues to also go down as a legend in the west London club’s history books. He forced his way into their first-team by scoring an amazing 114 goals at the junior level. While Greaves went on to hit 132 goals over his 169 senior appearances.

A brief spell with AC Milan followed for Greaves in 1961 but he could not replicate his magic at San Siro. So, Spurs swooped and secured his services after Chelsea refused to enter into a bidding war. Bill Nicholson’s move proved to be the making of a Tottenham Hotspur legend.

Greaves returned to the scene of his Chelsea debut, White Hart Lane, in December 1961 for £99,999. Nicholson did not want the forward burdened with being the first £100,000 player. But he could have justified a bigger fee as Greaves would be Spurs’ top scorer in nine terms.

Despite him joining in mid-season, Greaves ended the 1961/62 campaign atop Tottenham’s goal charts. And he never looked back as the striker would remain atop their charts in every season he spent at the club. The forward even hit a hat-trick on his debut against Blackpool.

Trophies followed with the goals Greaves delivered, too, as Tottenham built on their double from 1960/61. He found the back of the net in their 1962 FA Cup final win and twice in their 1963 Cup Winners’ Cup Final win. He also saw Spurs pip Chelsea in the 1967 FA Cup final.

Danny Blanchflower

For some Spurs supporters, Danny Blanchflower proved himself as the ultimate Tottenham Hotspur legend during his time in north London. The Northern Irishman ran the show over his decade in the capital and with a Green and White Army side also boasting George Best.

Blanchflower was the masterful metronome for a Spurs squad that lifted top-flight, FA Cup and European titles. He especially conducted Nicholson’s plans to perfection in 1960/61 to bring the Division One title back to Tottenham after 10 years and a first FA Cup since 1921.

The 1960/61 season sparked the most successful spell that Spurs have enjoyed so far. They owed much of their resurgence as a force in the English game to the tempo Blanchflower’s creativity established, too. He could see a pass or a channel few of his rivals could attempt.

But it was not only his creativity that established Blanchflower firmly amongst the greatest Tottenham Hotspur legends to date. He was also an inspirational leader and served as their captain during their successes. The FWA also named him as its Footballer of the Year twice.

Glenn Hoddle

Hoddle holds a place in Tottenham Hotspur’s history with the Spurs legend among the small group of players to score 100 or more goals for the club. The midfielder hit the back of a net 110 times over his 490 appearances in north London. He also helped them win several titles.

Tottenham won the FA Cup in back-to-back seasons with Hoddle producing an architectural presence in 1981 and 1982. He further helped Spurs claim their second UEFA Cup honour in 1984. While Tottenham even brought Hoddle back as the club’s manager from 2001 to 2003.

What further helped Hoddle become a Tottenham Hotspur legend was that the Middlesex-born maestro was a product of their academy. He joined Spurs’ youth fold aged 12 in 1970 before later breaking into the first-team in 1975 as a substitute in a draw with Norwich City.

Hoddle boasted superb natural talent with his supreme passing ability and skill to create an array of moments of magic. The midfielder would even net his final goal at White Hart Lane in typical fashion with a dribble and dummy from inside his own half against Oxford United.

David Mackay

Nicholson enjoyed a lengthy tenure as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur that saw multiple future club legends join Spurs. One of the greatest talents that the former Tottenham player signed for the north Londoners was Dave Mackay, who helped Nicholson transform the club.

Mackay became the driving force of Nicholson’s plans and helped Tottenham secure the first English top-flight and FA Cup double since Aston Villa did so in 1896/97 during 1960/61. The left half would go on to win the FA Cup three times and the Cup Winners’ Cup once at Spurs.

He was even Tottenham’s captain as they edged Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley in the 1967 FA Cup final. It was the crowning moment of a warrior’s career with Spurs having displayed extreme willpower to recover from two broken legs. His spirit never faded through his rehabilitations.

That drive extended onto the pitch, too, as Mackay could beat any defender just as easily as he stopped attackers. His powerful presence gave Spurs a brilliant option along the channel. While Mackay would also pick out almost any pass having also had great vision in his locker.

Cliff Jones

Jimmy Anderson lured Cliff Jones away from his hometown team, Swansea City, in February 1958. Tottenham paid the Jacks £35,000 for the winger and handed Jones a £10 signing-on bonus. The deal saw Spurs gain the services of one of the finest wide men of his generation.

Jones had already established himself as a prominent winger during his emergence in south Wales. The Swansea native moved out wide at a young age after initially starting his career as an inside forward. Yet the switch would see him become a prolific player with Tottenham.

His move to Spurs did not deliver instant success as Jones initially struggled before breaking a leg during pre-season. But Nicholson would bring the best out of Jones after taking over in October 1958. Jones recaptured his two-footed magic as a leading presence on either wing.

Pace to burn, the skill to bamboozle defenders, supreme courage and an aerial threat made Jones the complete wide package. He was a fearless forward who Spurs could move the ball to in any hour of need. While Juventus even failed with a £100,000 bid to sign Jones in 1962.

Steve Perryman

Steve Perryman enjoyed a 17-year career at Tottenham Hotspur that firmly established the Middlesex native as a club legend. He even spent 11 of his seasons with Spurs as their club captain. While the Ealing-born icon also has their club record with a huge 854 appearances.

Tottenham managers afforded Perryman 655 of his appearances during league games to set another Spurs record, too. Gary Mabbutt ranks second in each category after 477 of his 611 appearances came during their league matches. No player is ever likely to eclipse Perryman.

But it was not just his 854 appearances and 11 seasons as the captain that made Perryman a Tottenham legend. He also won the FA Cup, the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) and the UEFA Cup twice each. His list of honours make Perryman the club’s most decorated icon.

He also set the records for the most appearances by a Tottenham player in the FA Cup (69), the EFL Cup (66) and in Europe (64). Perryman appeared 53 times in the UEFA Cup, now the Europa League. He was also The FWA’s 1982 Player of the Year after his second FA Cup title.

What’s more, Perryman joined Tottenham as a schoolboy in 1967 to the absolute delight of Nicholson. He also stayed at Spurs after their relegation in 1976/77 and helped the club seal their immediate top-flight return. He even adapted his skills from midfield into the defence.

Harry Kane

The book of Kane becoming a Tottenham Hotspur legend is still a work in progress with the England captain an active record-breaking icon in north London. He is also a record-breaker in international football having overtaken Wayne Rooney as the Three Lions’ top goalscorer.

Kane enjoyed a record-breaking couple of months in February and March 2023 as he moved in front of Greaves and Rooney in Tottenham and England’s scoring charts. He moved ahead of Greaves with his 267th Spurs goal in 416 games and Rooney with his 54th hit for England.

Harry Redknapp helped Kane create the first chapter of his Tottenham career with his debut aged 18 against Hearts in a Europa League qualifier. Yet the attacker had to wait for his true arrival after further loans with Millwall, Norwich and Leicester after a spell at Leyton Orient.

Spells with the O’s, the Canaries and the Foxes did not always see Kane present himself as a credible option for Tottenham to consider. Kane had also failed to impress as a youth, seeing Arsenal release the striker after one year aged eight before he had a brief stay with Watford.

Tim Sherwood would, eventually, hand Kane his route into the Tottenham first-team before his career skyrocketed under Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine helped turn Kane into one of the finest centre-forwards of his generation and a World Cup golden boot winner in 2018.

The summer of 2023 would spell the end of Kane’s illustrious Spurs career as the striker left the Lilywhites to join German giants Bayern Munich for £100m.

Pat Jennings

Few players can claim they are one of the top legends of Tottenham Hotspur and their north London rivals, Arsenal. But Pat Jennings is exactly that, having enjoyed a monumental career with Spurs before joining the Gunners. He is also a respected and adored icon of both teams.

Keith Burkinshaw, mistakenly, felt he could let Jennings leave Tottenham after 13 years when Arsenal came calling in 1977. The Spurs boss believed the goalkeeper was nearing the end of his career. Yet the Northern Ireland hero was still going strong to play at the 1986 World Cup.

Jennings was simply one of the finest goalkeepers to ever grace the English game whether it was for Tottenham or Arsenal. He also enjoyed a 22-year international career, whilst winning five major trophies. He even scored against Manchester United in the Charity Shield in 1967.

Barring down on a goal in which Jennings stood was a daunting prospect for any forward for he was a master of one-vs-one scenarios. The shot-stopper knew exactly where to be, when to be there and brave enough to narrow the angle and make any scoring chance a challenge.

Jennings may have been just 6ft tall but his calm and assured presence meant he remained a fearsome foe. He also rarely needed to produce a spectacular save and would often collect crosses with just one hand. Spurs won an FA Cup, two EFL Cups and the UEFA Cup with him.

Martin Chivers

Nicholson saw scope to strengthen his strike force at Tottenham and raided Southampton in January 1968 to sign Martin Chivers. Spurs splashed big on the Saints product as the striker switched sides for a club-record £125,000. It saw him join forces with Greaves in the capital.

Chivers and Greaves would go on to end the 1969/70 season as Tottenham’s joint-top scorer before Chivers took over. He ended Greaves’ nine-straight seasons atop the scoring charts in north London in 1970/71. He would also remain at the top through until the end of 1973/74.

It did not take Chivers long to get scoring in the capital as he netted on his Tottenham debut against Sheffield Wednesday. But he truly had to wait for Greaves’ departure for a chance to be the main striker. Yet Chivers’ natural strength and pace saw the big man become a great.

He would even score 22 goals over just 32 European appearances, including one of the most important in Spurs’ history. Chivers found the net in the 87th minute at Molineux for a brace in the first leg of the 1972 UEFA Cup final for Spurs to win 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Chivers had earlier broken the deadlock at Molineux before Jim McCalliog responded. While Wolves could only hold Tottenham to a 1-1 draw in the second leg to see Spurs lift the UEFA Cup at White Hart Lane. Chivers’ thunderstrike from range at Molineux effectively secured it.

Ledley King

King went from the academy at Tottenham to become a Spurs legend, whilst also captaining the club along the way. He would skipper the ship in north London for seven years during his career as a one-club man. But a number of injuries would ultimately bring the curtain down.

His body would prove too fragile for the game and forced the centre-half to make comeback after comeback after comeback. Yet when he appeared on the field at White Hart Lane, King would put his injuries in the rear-view mirror as one of Tottenham’s greatest-ever defenders.

Injuries plagued King for numerous years to the point that he could not even train on a daily basis. It eventually forced him to retire aged 31 and take up an ambassadorial role for Spurs. He bowed out after 264 Premier League appearances and having lifted the EFL Cup in 2008.

It all began for King at the senior level at the age of 18 when he replaced Stephen Clemence against Liverpool in May 1999. His England debut followed against Italy in 2002 and he went on to earn 21 caps. King’s composure and tenacity would define his career with Tottenham.