Legendary Hotspurs: Looking At Some The Greatest Players
Tottenham Hotspurs may have struggled to win the title or any other silverware in the last couple of decades, they certainly haven’t been short of high-quality players. With the talent on show, you could easily argue that Spurs chronically underperforms. However, as any Spurs’ fan will tell you, whenever a player puts on that white shirt, they play for you. They play with a passion for the team and the wider community.
Here we guide you through some of these passionate superstars that have donned the white shirt for Spurs.
Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann, the clinical German striker, enjoyed two spells at White Hart Lane. He scored 29 goals in his first full season at the club and then returned, helping the club avoid relegation. He is a massive presence on the pitch and when he left for Bayern Munich in December 1997, he was sorely missed.
David Ginola
Ginola was a beautiful player, and we don’t mean his hair. He demonstrated the most amazing skills on the ball as he commanded the wing. He was an outstanding signing, coming across from Newcastle United. He was awarded the Player of the Year in 1999 when he helped the club to the League Cup.
Gareth Bale
Maybe the biggest impact that Bale had on the club was the £85 million-plus price tag paid by Real Madrid for the talented winger. Indeed, they saw something in him that wasn’t quite so visible to mere mortals among us. He moved to the Spanish club and demonstrated a flair that had been dampened at Spurs. He was an important Talisman for the club but not necessarily someone who reached his full potential while with the team.
Ledley King
King would have much more impact had he not been blighted by injury. He could easily have played 315 times for Spurs had he not been hampered. He was considered one of the most talented players to be signed. His performances for England proved that Tottenham had produced one of the most-talented centre-backs.
Teddy Sherringham
The partnership between Sherringham and Shearer made Teddy a legend across England. However, he scored an amazing 124 goals for Tottenham over two spells with the club. You might think his greatest moment was with Man Utd when he helped them win the Treble, Tottenham fans still believed they saw the best of this talented player over 8 years.
Gary Mabbutt
If you want to understand what it means to have the heart of a Spurs player, then look no further than Gary Mabbutt. He played for the club for 16 years and help the club win the UEFA cup early in his career. He also helped the team to an FA Cup win at the end of his career. He is resilient, persistent and brave – everything you come to expect from a Spurs great.
Steve Perryman
Perryman is the longest-serving and most successful player that has ever played for Tottenham. He was capped over 850 times in 17 years and won pretty much everything there was to win with the club.
Gary Lineker
Linekar only spent three years at the club before moving to Barcelona but he scored 80 goals in 138 games. His quality is unquestioned, as he is the perfect poacher scorer, always in the right place at the right time.
Paul Gascoigne
An undisputed genius of the game but always hampered by his attitude and his FA Cup knee injury. When on form, he was sensational – he was quite simply unstoppable. Tottenham Hotspurs was probably at his best when playing for Spurs.
Glenn Hoddle
Hoddle was one of the finest technicians ever to play for Tottenham. He was a midfielder with an all-round ability – not least as a leader. He went on to manage the club – but his greatest successes were as a player.
Pat Jennings
Spurs must have felt blessed to have one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He was also the Northern Ireland International and was named Player of the Year in 1976. He has an FA Cup medal, two League Cup medals and a UEFA cup medal in his 2 years with the club. Such success in a short period for Tottenham must have a lot to do with the security offered at the back.
Jimmy Greaves
He was a wonderful character, an amazing player to have in the dressing room and a deadly striker of the ball. He scored 266 goals in 380 games for Spurs – and indisputable legend of the game.
Danny Blanchflower
In terms of honours, Blanchflower won more than any other player with the club. He was also one of the greatest captains ever to lead Spurs. He was a Northern Irish midfielder with a strength of character that the rest of the team naturally followed. It is his words “The game is the glory” that still adorns the stands at Spurs to these days.