Crouch names unlikely Spurs legend as most two-footed star he ever played with

Peter Crouch gave a surprising response when asked to name the most two-footed player he ever featured alongside over the course of his career. Of course, the centre-forward played with some stellar names at Tottenham, Liverpool, England, and more.

However, it is not Paul Scholes, Luka Modric, or Frank Lampard that Crouch named as the player who was most skilled with his weaker foot, but rather Tottenham legend Ledley King.

King, who is widely considered as one of the most talented central defenders to grace the Premier League, had his career cut short by injuries and was forced into early retirement in 2012 due to his knee problems.

Crouch certainly knows well of the centre-half’s technical ability, having come through the youth ranks at Spurs alongside King before being reunited with the defender at White Hart Lane in 2009.

The former England striker revealed that King was so good with both feet that it was impossible to tell which one was his stronger foot.

When asked in a Q&A with the Daily Mail who the most two-footed player he played with was, the former Spurs striker responded: “I may surprise you with this, Neil, but Ledley King is the answer.

“We were in Tottenham’s youth team together and you would see him doing these tricks with his left foot – around the worlds, step-overs, keepy-ups. He did it all so effortlessly, it was just insane.

“Then we would go into a match and he would start pinging these passes with his right foot – 20, 30 40 yards, all like a laser. We would say to him: ‘Ledley, are you right or left footed?’ and he wouldn’t be able to answer. Another underrated two-footed player was Nigel Quashie.

“I played with some phenomenal players, such as Steven Gerrard and Gareth Bale, who were predominantly one-footed. It didn’t matter to Ledley, however. He was just as comfortable with the ball on either side.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Ledley King, to this day, remains the most complete defender I’ve ever seen play in my life. Not only was he an unbelievable athlete but, as Crouch says, his technique and composure on the ball was second to none. However, his best quality was his reading of the game as he was always a step or two ahead of the attackers. It is frightening to think how good he would have gone on to become without his knee problems.

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