Tottenham Hotspur icon Ledley King has opened up about the brutal reality behind his early retirement, revealing a stark medical warning that forced him to bring an injury-riddled career to an end far sooner than anyone expected.
Ledley King is a Tottenham Hotspur legend and rightly so, given that he gave the best part of his playing career to Spurs.
Indeed, he is a one-club man, and he continues to be affiliated with Tottenham even outside of playing on the green, serving as an ambassador.
He was a part of the last Tottenham side to win silverware back in 2008, but injuries prevented him from giving more time to Spurs as he retired from football aged 31, having led Tottenham for seven years.
Tottenham legend Ledley King reveals doctor’s chilling career warning
King’s playing career was not without its setbacks, as the former England international had to deal with knee problems throughout his 13 years in professional football, and the issue dominated much of his time on the pitch.
He would often play without ever training for Spurs, but he eventually hung up his boots following a doctor’s alarming message in 2012.
The Tottenham legend explained that the warning came at the end of a season in which he initially felt strong before a collision changed everything.
This was revealed while speaking in an interview reported by Sky Bet.
King said, “It was a tough decision because it was 2012 and for the first half of the season, I had felt as good as I had felt in a long time.
“It was strange – I felt like I was doing well and we had not lost any games that I had played in.
“I was feeling so good that in fact I was training a day before the games, but I had a clash with a goalkeeper, and my knee just blew up.
“I ended up playing 23 games that season, but the second half of the season the quality was not there so for the first time I was not enjoying my football, and I felt that I was not helping the team.
“At the end of that season, I sat down with my surgeon, and he basically said that I am going to end up in a wheelchair if I kept on playing. So, I knew it was time.”
Spurs great Ledley King lifts lid on England frustrations
Despite his persistent injuries, King still went to Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup.
The Tottenham man also opened up on his time with England, making a startling claim about the motivation of some of his team-mates in that first tournament, revealing that certain players lacked the belief that they would ever get minutes.
He added, “I had a mixed experience (playing for England). I remember going to the 2004 tournament. There were players that lacked motivation in the squad, because they did not believe that they were ever going to play.
“I was shocked by that. I do not want to say that they had almost given up, but it was almost like they knew whatever they did, they would not play.
“I did not believe in that – I played in the first game against France, I did well, but then I did not play in the second game.
“That told me that the shirt is not yours to lose – there was a hierarchy in the camp – and that makes it difficult.”