Best Tottenham Hotspur Players
aaamusic | On 21, Sep 2021
In the world of professional soccer, Tottenham Hotspurs have turned many heads. For many years, this team has won games, appeared in championships, and has produced some of the world’s best players ever to step foot on the pitch. For more than 120 years, the Hotspurs have competed in games and have won many awards along the way, including the Division One title, F.A. Cup, and the prestigious European Cup.
The success that this team has enjoyed not only has to do with teamwork and coaching but with the individual skills of players. With dozens of excellent players to appear on the roster, the Hotspurs have been a team with a large number of popular players among fans and some of the top goal scorers in the sport. Known for being one of the best clubs in English football, the Spurs team has enjoyed many successful seasons over the years. The first FA Cup was won back in 1901, and from then, the team has collected many honors. So, who are some of the best players to ever take the field in a Spurs uniform? We look at a list of team players who have played with the Spurs during their career, from the beginning of the team to the current day.
As a sports fan, you can use the information on current team members to place wagers on upcoming Tottenham games. You can even find sites that allow you to engage in sports betting while also having fun by playing blackjack and winning big! Use our list of great players of past and present to plan if you are a sports bettor.
Heurelho Gomes – Goalkeeper
Being a goalkeeper is one of the hardest jobs in professional football, and it takes a mental toll. Gomes has faced struggles on and off the field. After moving from the PSV Eindhoven team to the Spurs, he quickly became a key player. He made impressive and important saves and was responsible for sealing a win over Arsenal late in the 2010 season.
Gomes struggled when he first took the field with the Spurs and had to work closely with Tony Parks, the goalkeeping coach. Gomes had to adapt to playing English football instead of the Brazilian game, and he tried to practice being in every possible situation a game could throw at him. The Brazilian player had some great games, but a few mistakes and losses greatly damaged his confidence as a keeper.
Kyle Walker – Full-Back
Walker is a memorable member of the team and has played an important role on the field. He started playing with the Spurs in 2009 and proved to be a speedy and aggressive player. Walker had amazing long-range shots and was one of the key players when the team faced Arsenal and the Blackburn Rovers. He continued to play for the Spurs for 6 years and was twice named to the PFA Team of the Year.
Walker scored a goal in his debut game after just nine minutes of play, sparking a huge celebration among fans and starting his famous run as a Hotspur. In 2017, Walker made a move to play with Manchester for a fee of 45 million euros!
Pat Jennings – Goalkeeper
Pat Jennings was the goalkeeper for the Spurs between 1964 and 1977 and was considered one of the best keepers in the world. Unlike many goalkeepers at that time, Jennings made saves using his arms and legs and was an agile player. As a result, he was one of just two goalies to become PFA Player of the Year.
Jennings was best known for being able to stop just about any shot taken on him. He was a crucial part of the team and was a member of the roster during one of the most successful runs of Tottenham history. The team won the FA Cup in 1967 and then went on to win the League Cup in 1971 and 1973. They also won another top award in 1972, taking home the UEFA cup. All of these amazing feats were accomplished with Jennings in net.
Aside from his amazing performances with the Spurs, Jennings was admired by other players and teams all over the globe. In 1973, he was named the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year, and he then went on to win Player of the Year in 1976. In 1977, Jennings was sold to the rival Arsenal team. While most sales like this would cause a rift among fans, they supported Jennings and held no grudge, knowing he would have stayed with the team if he could have.
Dave Mackay – Midfielder
Dave Mackay was a professional player from Scotland and had an impressive career with the Spurs. The team players, as well as managers, described him as being one of the greatest players ever to wear the uniform, and he was deemed the ”heartbeat” and driving force behind the club’s most successful team. Mackay joined the team in 1959 when he was signed for 32,000 EUR. In the 1960s, Mackay remained a solid force on the field and drove his team to many wins. The team was a double winner in 1960, and as a result, they played in the FA Charity Shield in 1961, winning the event. In the same year, the team won the FA Cup Final.
During his time with the team, Mackay made 318 appearances on the field and took on the role of a defender as well as an attacker. He was one of the strongest midfielders to play the game at that time. Years after he stopped playing, Mackay was still remembered and honored by the Spurs and was one of just 11 players to be featured on a set of stamps by the Royal Mail. Mackay passed away in 2015 after battling dementia and is still considered to be one of the best players to ever play for the Spurs or a professional team in general.
Dimitar Berbatov – Striker
Berbatov was a Bulgarian player that took the field with the Spurs, and in just two seasons, he managed to score 45 goals and assist 28 others. Many of these goals played an important role in the 5th place finish for the team in the 2006-06 season. The following year, he led the team to a League Cup win. While Berbatov had some amazing skills on the field, fans were more impressed with his playing style.
Berbatov was the very first Bulgarian player to join the Premier League when he was purchased by the Spurs in 2006. Even though he only spent two years with the team before going to Manchester United, he left his mark and is considered to be one of the most powerful strikers to have played for Tottenham. His debut with the team was impressive, and he quickly gained a fan base as he scored 7 goals in just 8 games.
After 106 games with the team, he accepted the deal with Manchester United and parted ways with the Spurs. Berbatov has a successful run with the Spurs, though he did not have many relationships with the team as a whole. He kept to himself off the pitch and did not form any friendships. However, many believe he thought he was too good to be playing for the team, so the transfer to Manchester was not one that upset many other Spurs players.
Gareth Bale – Attacker
In May 2007, Bale signed a four-year contract with Spurs. Initially, the club offered 5 million euros with the possibility of increasing the amount to 10 million depending on the results. Needless to say, Bale did not disappoint. He is known as one of the greatest strikers in the game, and he attracted international attention during the UEFA Champions League in 2010. He was later named PFA Player of the Year in 2011 and 2013, as well as Team of the Year in 2013.
Bale stayed with the Spurs until 2013 when he was transferred to Real Madrid. Like his performance on the pitch with the Spurs, he continued to attract attention and a major fan base. While his career with Real Madrid was promising, his stats with the Spurs were much more impressive. During his time as a Spurs member, he scored his first hat trick when playing against Aston Villa. With every season played in a Spurs uniform, his numbers got better, and his skills improved. Many now say that Bale was the greatest player of the century for Tottenham and had tremendous talent.
In 2020, Bale rejoined the team at the age of 31 and received a fee that set world records, a whopping 85.3 million Euros. He returned to the Spurs on a season-long loan. Bale immediately started to shine on the field and once again found his love and passion for football.
Aaron Lennon – Striker
Aaron Lennon may perhaps be the best addition to the Spurs team in years. He began his professional career playing for Leeds United and debited with the team in 2003. It made him the youngest player to ever play a game in the Premier League. In 2005, he joined the Hotspurs for a 1 million contract and made 364 impressive appearances on the field. During that time, he scored 30 goals. His first major achievement was accomplished in 2008 when he won the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Lennon was chosen by teammates to be the PFA Player of the Year during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. However, he lost that award to Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Lennon then went on to sign a deal with the team for five years. His first major honor with the Spurs was one that paved the road to being one of the best players for the team in the past decade.
In 2008-2009, Lennon was Player of the Season, voted by Tottenham fans, and was also the Young Player of the Season. During this year, he played in 47 games and added five goals to his stats. However, things got rough as Lennon suffered an injury in October of 2009 and returned to the team in November with a strong appearance against Wigan Athletic. He had one goal and three assists. In the last minutes of the game, he was substituted but received an amazing standing ovation from the crowd.
In 2012, Lennon signed another deal with the team for an additional four years. He was named team captain for a match played against Lazio in the Europa League. He finished pout the 2012 season with four goals, and the Spurs landed fifth on the Premier League. Despite his four-year deal, Lennon was loaned to Everton in 2015 and returned to the Spurs for a brief period during the 2015-2016 season. However, he was training with the Under-21 team and was never given a jersey number. He then moved on and joined Everton again. Lennon is now finishing his career with Burnley.
Robbie Keane – Forward
Between the years 2002 and 2011, Robbie Keane took the field sporting a Spurs uniform and, during that time, made himself a legend. With 306 team appearances and an amazing 112 goals, Keane still ranks 11th as the all-time scorer for the team. By the young age of 20, Keane had already played for four professional clubs before joining the Spurs in 2002. This football star from the Republic of Ireland was instantly adored by fans and had a natural ability on the field that would lead the team to many wins.
For 9 years, Keane thrilled fans and set records. He was one of just 17 spurs players ever to score 100 goals, and he captained the club. During his career with the Spurs, Keane was named Player of the Year and was the first player ever to be awarded the title three times. He played with the team until 2008, when Liverpool offered 19 million for him to join the squad. However, his career here did not last long as Tottenham approached Liverpool during the transfer window in January 2009, and the Irishman rejoined the Spurs in February. Just one week later, he was named team vice-captain.
Robbie finally wanted a huge change and left for a life in the US when he entered the MLS with the LA Galaxy team in 2011. He won three titles in the league and was named MVP in 2014. With six seasons as an MLS player, he racked up 83 goals in 125 season games along with 45 assists. His last professional move took him to India playing at ATK and then went on to manage the team. He retired from playing in 2018 and took on a coaching role with Ireland. He continued his coaching career and received his UEFA Pro License in 2020.
Ledley King – Central Defender
Ledley King is one of the few players in the sport to be a one-team man. He has spent his entire professional career with the Tottenham Hotspurs, playing 323 matches between the years 1999 and 2012. Today, King is the assistant first coach, remaining with the team that created his entire career. There is no argument that King may be the best player to ever step on the field, and he is one of the best central defenders of all time.
King’s team debut came in 1999 with a match against Liverpool. He played as a midfielder, and in 2000, he scored his first goal for the team after just 10 seconds into the game. This set a Premier League record that stood for 18 years, finally being broken in 2019 by Shane Long, who scored after 7.69 seconds into a game. In 2005, King was named team captain, a title he would carry until he retired.
In 2006, King missed the first half of the season due to a knee injury that required surgery. He returned to the field in 2007 and, in the first game, played 73 minutes. He made sporadic appearances for the rest of that season, and an official announcement in 2008 rested him for the remainder of that season. With ongoing knee issues, it was clear that King would not be able to play every game. He continued to struggle with injuries and only made 9 field appearances during the 2010-2011 season. At the end of this season, he decided to retire as a player officially.
He began to work as the team ambassador in 2012 ad continued to do so for many years. In 2019, King moved from being an ambassador to being an official coach for the team. He was added to the staff as a first-team assistant coach and, today, continues to work with the team that started his career.
Jimmy Greaves – Striker
Jimmy Greaves is the greatest goal scorer in the sport of professional football, and when he played for Tottenham, he scored 266 goals in just 380 games! With 366 career goals, Jimmy set a record for the highest number of goals scored in Europe, a record that is still standing today. Greaves was signed to the Hotspurs back in 1961 for a sum of 99,999 euros. He immediately started setting goalscoring records and was the leading striker in the division for three years in a row.
During his time with the Spurs, Jimmy led the team to a FA Cup victory two times and a European Cup Winner’s Cup win in 1963. After 9 years with Tottenham, he joined the West Ham United squad for a short career that included 13 goals.
While Jimmy had amazing skills and was one of the strongest players of his time, he struggled with health issues. He contracted hepatitis during the 1964 season and lost three months. His return was just in time for the World Cup, where he played three games and was then injured. At the end of 1971, Jimmy Greaves retired and suffered from alcoholism. He then went on to become sober and found a career in writing and broadcasting. In 2015, Jimmy suffered a stroke that he survived, but it left the star player wheelchair-bound for life.
Known for being the greatest scorer in the game, Jimmy was also known for his keen sense of positioning and the ability to be perfectly placed on the pitch. He could finish with both feet and easily place shots that added to his record-setting number of goals.
New Legends of Tottenham
Over the many years as a professional team, the Tottenham Spurs have churned out Hall of Fame players and league legends. As the team prepares for yet another successful season, fans have their eyes on some top players on the roster. These players may go on to make the lust of the best players to wear a Spurs uniform and are the ones to watch in the upcoming season. Moreover, the stakes are high – people are willing to bet on the team’s victory in bookmakers and licensed casinos, which means that they trust new players and have high expectations. Here, we take a look at the hottest talent on the Spurs team today. You can expect these returning players to put on a great show and help rack up the stats as the Spurs play in the 2021-2022 season.
- Heung-Min Son – This midfielder will be returning to the Spurs for another season, and he is one of the top paid FPL midfielders in the game. Son has been playing with the Spurs since 2015 and has been popular with fans and teammates. In 280 appearances, he has scored 107 goals and is known for his positive energy and kind demeanor.
- Sergio Reguilon – Sergio was signed to the Spurs with a five-year contract in 2020, and after playing only 30 games with the team, he is a fan favorite and a talent that may help drive the team to a championship. The defender has impressive stats and is always working to improve his skills to strengthen the team.
- Eric Dier – With the team since 2014, Dier has proven to be a versatile player and a strong defender. He can handle the positions of center back, right back, and defensive midfield. Dier has had over 200 appearances with the Spurs and looks forward to a successful season.