When the Spurs go marching in: 5 greatest Tottenham Hotspur players of all time

Tottenham Hotspur, as one of the modern Big Six, are and always have been one of England’s more successful clubs. Though they have more often than not been in the top flight, competing for honours at that, there has been much made of Spurs’ struggle to win a major honour, particularly in recent years.

Their last Premier League triumph came in 1961, nor have they won an FA Cup or European trophy since the 20th century. Spurs’ 2008 League Cup win remains the last major honour won by the club that formerly played at White Hart Lane.

Despite their trophy struggles, though, Spurs have been a consistently solid side for much of their history, boasting some truly brilliant players over the years of their history. So, with that being said, which five players to have represented the club have been the best to ever do it?

5. Son Heung-min

After spending his formative years in the Bundesliga, three years with Hamburg and two with Bayer Leverkusen, Son Heung-min was snapped up by Spurs in 2015. At the time of his transfer, he was the most expensive Asian player in history, a title that he has gone on to wear quite well.

With almost a decade of service to his name, Son currently sits fourth on Tottenham’s all-time scorers list, having garnered a reputation as a lethal finisher with lightning-quick pace and bags of ability with either foot. In 2022, he became the first Asian player ever to win the Golden Boot in the Premier League.

Capable of playing anywhere along the front line, Son was a key part of the Mauricio Pochettino side that reached the Champions League final in 2019 and finished runners-up in the Premier League just three years prior.

Having held the captain's armband since the departure of former teammate Harry Kane, Son has added leadership to his many desirable qualities as he has gotten older. Still just 32 years old, it is more than feasible to assume that Son is far from finished in the Premier League just yet.

4. Steve Perryman

No player is yet to come even remotely close to Steve Perryman’s eye-wateringly high number of appearances for Tottenham Hotspur. Across 17 years of service, Perryman played 747 games for the club, notching 35 goals playing as either a midfielder or a defender.

Perryman’s impact on the Spurs side was no coincidence, as they went through a period of success across Perryman’s tenure there. He helped the club win two FA Cups, two League Cups and two UEFA Cups, the latter having now been rebranded as the Europa League. His two FA Cup triumphs were successive, coming in 1981 and 1982. Such was Perryman’s quality and leadership that he wore the captain's armband on both occasions, adding a further hint of personal glory to an already impressive achievement.

Perryman left White Hart Lane in 1986, spending time with Oxford United and Brentford, fulfilling a player-manager role with the second of those teams, before, in 1990, he called time on a playing career that had made him a legend within the hearts of the Spurs faithful.

3. Pat Jennings

After spending one season at Watford, Pat Jennings was snapped up by Spurs in 1964. The goalkeeper would end up spending 13 years at White Hart Lane, where he would establish himself as one of his generation’s best shot-stoppers as he won a UEFA Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.

A Northern Ireland international, Jennings is one of the few players who appeared in over 1,000 professional games across his career. In the 1967 Charity Shield, Jennings also scored from open play, an exceptionally rare feat for a player of his position.

Jennings was sold by Spurs in 1977, to arch-rivals Arsenal no less, as they felt that the then-32-year-old was nearing the end of his career. In a shock to his former employers, Jennings would play for eight years at Arsenal, racking up over 200 appearances for them before returning to Spurs, mainly to train for international football, in 1985.

2. Jimmy Greaves

124 First Division goals in 157 games across four years for Chelsea saw Jimmy Greaves earn a 1961 move to Italian giants AC Milan. After just months at the San Siro, however, Greaves would be on the move once more. His time abroad had not been successful which led to his return home, only this time, he would be joining Tottenham Hotspur,

Greaves would spend nine years at Spurs, showcasing his exceptional dribbling and lethal finishing abilities. He won two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup in his stint at White Hart Lane and played for England until 1967, though he would miss the famous 1966 World Cup final.

By the time Greaves departed Spurs in 1970, he had scored 265 goals in 370 games, a staggering return that saw him become the club’s all-time top scorer, a record he would hold until a certain Harry Kane supplanted him at the top of that list. This, however, takes nothing away from the club legacy Greaves left behind him.

1. Harry Kane

Now plying his trade in Germany with Bayern Munich, Harry Kane is Spurs’ all-time top goalscorer, having netted 280 goals in 435 games. Much has been made of Kane’s struggles to win a trophy at the highest level, but that surely can not take away from the sheer talent that he possesses.

Alongside Son Heung-min, Kane was part of the Pochettino side that saw Tottenham competing for the Premier League and Champions League, though ultimately falling short in the final stretch of both competitions. A devastating finisher, Kane also garnered a reputation for his ability to drop deep, pick up the ball and distribute passes like the best playmakers in the sport.

Not only did the striker earn his first England call-up as a Spurs player, but saw himself rise to the role of captain for the Three Lions while also becoming his country’s record scorer, overtaking Wayne Rooney’s record in 2023.

Kane is also second on the all-time Premier League top scorers list, behind only Alan Shearer. It seems fair to assume that Kane will spend the next few seasons of his career in Bavaria, but who is to say that he may not one day return and try to bolster the already brilliant legacy he has left behind in North London?