Ledley King

"Ledley King came through the ranks of Tottenham Hotspur youth system and went on to become one of the greatest-ever defenders to put on the famous white jersey. Ledley was a one-club man, giving Tottenham Hotspur 13 years of first team service, making 323 appearances in total. Ledley was handed his debut at Liverpool in May 1999, but only a handful of opportunities arrived over the next two years. Indeed, it wasn't until the final day of the 1999/2000 season that he was given the chance to make his bow in front of the Spurs faithful at White Hart Lane. It took only four more appearances for Ledley to score his first goal for the club. A strike which, until recently, was the fastest goal ever scored in the Premier League's history, with just 9.82 seconds on the clock at Bradford City. Now a regular, the arrival of Martin Jol in 2004 saw Ledley begin to reach the peak of his potential. Partnered by Noureddine Naybet and then Michael Dawson, Tottenham Hotspur began to build the foundations of a team that would move up the table and begin to challenge for the Champions League places. Ledley was named Captain in 2005 - a role he proudly held until his retirement - and lifted a trophy with Robbie Keane at Wembley after Tottenham Hotspur's League Cup triumph in 2008. After leading the Club into the Champions League, he was selected for England's World Cup squad in 2010, but injury struck in South Africa. Injuries began to take their toll on Ledley with him making only nine appearances in 2010/11. A persistent knee problem forced him to retire in 2012 at the age of 31. Still hugely popular and adored by fans - Ledley's name rings out at the 26 minute point of every game, marking his shirt number. Post retirement, Ledley has continued his life-long association with Spurs in his role of club ambassador. On 6th August 2020, Ledley was announced as the new first team assistant. In this role, Ledley will join as a member of the Tottenham Hotspur first team staff, working alongside the coaches, analysts and playing squad, both at the training centre and on matchdays. He will also take on the role of supporting the academy players as they look to step up to the first team."