Ultimate Tottenham dream team - Kane and Bale in, no room for Son
Tottenham Hotspur, nicknamed 'The Lilywhites' are one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
At their peak in the 1960s and 70s, they won multiple trophies including eight FA Cups and three cups in Europe, most under the guidance of the legendary Bill Nicholson, who led them to 12 trophies as manager.
In every era, there have been some absolute legends who featured for Tottenham and we've compiled them into an all-time best XI!
Let's take a look.
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GK: Pat Jennings
Often described as the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Pat Jennings is one of the few players to play for both North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal.
However, his time at Spurs was way more successful than with the Gunners.
Jennings made 472 appearances for Tottenham between 1964 and 1977, winning the FA Cup in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 1973, and the Uefa Cup in 1972.
In a Charity Shield game against Manchester United in 1967, Jennings kicked the ball from his penalty area right into the back of United's net to score a famous goal.
Jennings is only one of two goalkeepers ever to win the PFA Footballer of the Year award, with the other goalkeeper being the great Peter Shilton.
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RB: Steve Perryman
Between 1969 and 1986, Steve Perryman made a club record 866 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur.
The versatile defender, who could also slot-in in midfield, won two FA Cups, two League Cups and two Uefa Cups among other trophies with Tottenham.
Perryman also played the role of Spurs' caretaker manager in 1994.
Astonishingly, Perryman was just capped once for the England national team.
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CB: Ledley King
A true one-club man, Ledley King arrived at Tottenham's academy in 1996 and rose through the ranks at the club, eventually making his senior debut in 1999.
King played for Spurs until 2012, making 268 appearances for them, winning one trophy, the League Cup in the 2007-08 season.
In 2014, he was given a testimonial game by Spurs which featured other club legends like David Ginola, Teddy Sheringham and Dimitar Berbatov.
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CB: Sol Campbell
Tottenham brought Sol Campbell to their academy in 1989 where he developed into one of the most agile defenders in the 1990s.
In 1992, Campbell made Spurs' first senior appearance and over the next nine years, he went on to play a total of 255 games for the Lilywhites, winning one trophy, the League Cup in 1998-99.
Campbell joined Tottenham's arch-rivals Arsenal in 2001.
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LB: Cyril Knowles
After one season at senior level with Middlesbrough, Tottenham signed a relatively unknown left back Cyril Knowles in 1964.
Little did they know that the youngster would go on to become their greatest left back ever!
Knowles made 402 appearances for Spurs between 1964 and 1976 and won five trophies at the club including the famous Uefa Cup win of 1971-72.
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RM: Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale had two separate stints with Tottenham.
He first joined them in 2007 from Southampton, primarily as a left-back, but tactical shifts saw him play further forward, where he established himself as one of the best young wingers in the world.
Bale featured on the wing in his prime for Tottenham and terrorized Premier League defences between 2007 and 2013 before Real Madrid signed him for a world-record fee.
He returned to Tottenham in 2020 on loan for a season before eventually moving to MLS with Los Angeles FC.
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CM: Luka Modric
One of the greatest midfielders of all time, Luka Modric arrived at Spurs from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.
Over the next four years at the club, Modric showcased glimpses of his excellence as he accomplished himself as one of their greatest-ever players who led them to their first Champions League qualification in 50 years. Spurs went all the way through to the quarter-final of their debut campaign in the competition.
In 2012, the Croatian was signed by Real Madrid and went on to achieve football greatness, including winning the Ballon d'Or.
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LM: Glenn Hoddle
After graduating from Tottenham's academy, Glenn Hoddle made his senior debut for the club in 1975.
Primarily a midfielder, Hoddle could play virtually anywhere in the middle of the pitch thanks to his balance and ball control, unparalleled vision and passing ability as well as extraordinary shooting technique, both from open play and set pieces.
He scored 88 goals in 377 appearances for Spurs between 1975 and 1987, winning two FA Cups and a Uefa Cup.
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ST: Jimmy Greaves
A fantastic goalscorer with 220 goals in 321 games, Jimmy Greaves is often regarded as one of the greatest English players of all time.
The striker won the FA Cup in 1961–62 and 1966–67, the Charity Shield in 1962 and 1967, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962–63 with Tottenham in their golden era.
Greaves never won a league title with Spurs.
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ST: Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham joined Tottenham from Nottingham Forest in 1992 and became an instant hit at the club. He was the Premier League's top goal scorer in his first season there.
In North London, Sheringham scored 75 goals in 166 appearances in five years before sealing a move to Manchester United.
He returned to Tottenham in 2001 and scored 22 goals in 70 games in a two-year spell.
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ST: Harry Kane
Harry Kane graduated from Tottenham's academy and spent some of his developmental years on loan to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester City.
He returned to Spurs and made his senior debut for them in 2014. The English striker has gone on to break records and Kane became the greatest goalscorer in Tottenham's history in Spurs' 1-0 win over Man City in February 2023.
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Honorable mentions
One of the greatest English strikers of all time, Gary Lineker arrived at Tottenham from Barcelona in 1989. He scored 67 goals in 105 games for the Lillywhites. He won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1991.
Paul Gascoigne was the most naturally talented footballer of his generation. Gazza joined Tottenham in 1988 from Newcastle and went on to score 19 goals in 92 appearances for them. He won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1991.
South Korea captain Son Heung-Min is one of the most prolific forwards in the world and his stint at Tottenham is proof of that. He is nearing a century of goals for the club!
Jermaine Defoe was at the peak of his powers in the early 2000s when Tottenham signed him from West Ham. He had two permanent spells at Spurs, one between 2004 and 2008 and another between 2009 and 2014. He scored 139 goals for the club.
If not for the three great strikers we chose in our best XI, Robbie Keane would have found his name as the closes to them. The Republic of Ireland striker scored 91 goals in two separate stints with Spurs.
Tottenham signed Clive Allen from QPR in 1984 and he went on to score 60 goals in 105 games for them. He also played for Manchester City and Chelsea later in his career.
David Ginola arrived at Spurs in 1997 after attaining fame at PSG and Newcastle. The winger made 100 appearances for the Lilywhites.
Tottenham beat immense competition from top clubs across Europe to land Christian Eriksen from Ajax in 2013. The Danish midfielder scored 51 goals in 226 games for Spurs. He played for Inter, Brentford and Manchester United later in his career.
One of the top goalscorers in Tottenham history, Cliff Jones scored 135 goals in 318 games for them. He was a key component of the Spurs team in 1960-61 that won the English League title and the FA Cup trophy.
Bill Nicholson spent his whole career at Tottenham, making 314 appearances. He won one first-division and one second-division title with Spurs.
Danny Rose burst onto the scene in the Premier League with Spurs in 2007. The left-back spent 14 years at the club, making 156 appearances.
Tottenham signed Mike England from Blackburn in 1966. The defender went on to make 300 appearances in the white shirt! He won the FA Cup in 1967, the Uefa Cup in 1972, and the League Cup in 1971 and 1973 with Spurs.
After impressing at Ajax, Atletico Madrid and a loan spell at Southampton, Tottenham signed Toby Alderweireld in 2015. The Belgian defender made 174 appearances for them over six years.
Graham Roberts made 209 appearances for Spurs, winning the FA Cup two times and captaining the side that won the 1984 UEFA Cup. An interesting fact about Roberts is that in the FA Cup final of 1981, he lost three teeth during the game, but continued to play and bring the trophy home for his team!
One of the key players of Tottenham's double-winning side of 1961, Dave Mackay made 268 appearances for Spurs, scoring 42 goals!
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