Tottenham legend…

Jimmy Greaves was born in Manor Park, London in 1940 and is arguable the greatest Tottenham player of all time. I say arguable because I have heard this debated by those more knowledgeable than me on a number of occasions to no satisfactory conclusion. Tottenham has undoubtedly fielded some great players so there is room for debate. The one thing that can’t be argued is what Greaves accomplished during his football career.

With 266 goals scored during his time as a Hotspur, Greaves is Tottenham’s highest ever goal scorer. Of those goals 45 came in hat-tricks. He is also England’s fourth highest international goal scorer with 44 goals and has scored the highest number of hat-tricks for England at 6, more than any other player. If that isn’t enough with 357 goals Greaves is the highest goal scorer in the history of English top-flight football.

By the time his career as a football player was over Jimmy Greaves scored an astounding 422 goals in 602 games. He was the First Divisions top scorer 6 times and until he was overtaken by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 was the highest goal scorer in European history.

Greaves professional career began at Chelsea in 1957. Ironically in his First Division debut he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in a game that ended up a 1-1 draw. Greave’s first season ended with him as Chelsea’s leading scorer with 22 goals in 37 games. During the 1960-61 season which would be his last with Chelsea he surpassed 100 league goal which made him the youngest player at 20 years and 290 days to pass 100 goals. Greaves left Chelsea for A.C. Milan after 4 seasons as the second highest goal scorer ever for the team at that time. Over the course of his time with Chelsea he played in 169 games and scored 132 goals.

Although he had a three year contract with A.C. Milan Greaves only played with the team for one season. He reportedly regretted the move even before the transfer but was unable to have the contact canceled. As he did at Chelsea he scored in his debut game but despite a relatively good start, did not get along with the head coach due to the strict training regime. In the 14 games he played with A.C. Milan Greaves scored 9 goals. He was transfer-listed due to low morale which resulted in his move to Tottenham.

In December 1961 Greaves signed a contract for £99,999 with Tottenham Hotspur. The unusual amount of the contract was meant to relieve him of the pressure of becoming Britain’s first £100,000 player. In his first team debut he scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Blackpool. During the 1969-70 season which was to be his last as a Hotspur he was dropped from the first team. Despite never making it back into the starting line-up he still ended up as the team’s top scorer for the season. During the 9 seasons he spent with Tottenham Jimmy Greaves appeared in 381 games and scored 266 goals, setting a club record which remains unbroken up until now.

During Greave’s time at Tottenham, they won the FA Cup twice, in 1961- 62 and again in 1966 – 67. In addition in 1962 -63 Tottenham Hotspur became the first British team to win a European trophy. During the semi-final Greaves received his first and only red card for attempting to punch an opposing player and received a one match ban. He was able to play in the final and scored 2 goals in a 5-1 victory that secured the European trophy.

In 1962 Greaves appeared in all 4 of England’s games during the FIFA World Cup. England lost their quarter-final match. He returned to the World Cup in 1966 and played in all three group games before being injured in their game against France. Geoff Hurst replaced him for the quarter-final and scored the game’s only goal. Hurst went on to play in the rest of the games with England winning the tournament. Because only those players on the pitch during the final received medals Greaves didn’t receive his until 2009 after a change in FIFA rules.

After leaving Tottenham Greaves played 2 more seasons of First Division football with West Ham United. While there he played in 40 games and scored 13 goals. Outside of football he was a co-driver in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally where he finished in sixth place out of over 100 entries. During his final season and by his own admission he had started to slip into the early stages of alcoholism. Greaves placed his last game of First Division football on May 1, 1971. On October 17, 1972 he was given a testimonial match by Tottenham that was attended by over 45,000 people.

Greaves returned to football at a lower level in 1977, playing two seasons in the Southern League Premier Division. He overcame his alcohol problems in 1979 and has remained sober since.

From 1979 until 2009 Jimmy Greaves was a columnist at The Sun newspaper. Along with Ian Saint John he had a weekly football show, Saint and Greavsie, from 1985 to 1992. Greaves worked in television until 1998.

It is easy to recognize how good Greaves was when you look at all he accomplished in the sport but to truly appreciate him you had to have watched him play. His ability to score was uncanny and at times appeared effortless. If you never have seen Greaves in action you can find plenty of videos of him playing on YouTube. When you aren’t watching current Hotspur games take some time to watch this legendary player of the past. People will still debate if he is Tottenham’s best player of all time but regardless of whether he is or isn’t it is a pleasure to watch him play. As a break from football you can play at online casinos with free spins no wagering requirements. You may even want to place a wager on Tottenham.