Tottenham Hotspurs Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

UEFA Cup 1972

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.


Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton, Ipswich
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, 
Leeds United, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Tottemham Hotspurs All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Tottenham All-Time Team for English Players
Tottenham All-Time Team for British Isles Players(excluding England)
Greater London All-Time Team

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Founded in 1882, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, making them the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League in 1888. Tottenham were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners' Cup.  They won the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. In the 1984, Spurs again won the UEFA Cup. In the 1990s the club won the FA Cup and the League Cup.  They had won a major trophy in each of the last six decades – an achievement only matched by Manchester United. In 2019, they reached the Final of the Champions' League.

UEFA Cup 1984

Team
GK: Ray Clemence (England)
Ray Clemence was considered one of England's greatest keepers. He won 3 European Cups and 2 UEFA Cups in the 1970's with Liverpool and a UEFA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was voted as Liverpool's greatest keeper.  He is one of only 25 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances. For the national team, he was locked in a battle of number 1 with Peter Shilton.  He was Shilton's backup at the World Cup Finals in 1982. He made 61 appearances for England. 

Ray Clemence

GK: Pat Jennings (N.Ireland)
Considered among the greatest goalkeeper of all-time.  The prime of his career was spent with both Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal.  In 1973 the Football Writers' Association named him as its footballer of the year. Three years later he won PFA's version of the award – he was the first goalkeeper to receive this accolade, and to this date remains only one of two, along with Peter Shilton. He earned 119 caps for Northern Ireland and went to two WC Finals. 

GK: Ted Ditchburn (England)
Ditchburn made his senior debut for the Spurs in a wartime league match against Chelsea in 1940. At this time he represented both the RAF and the Combined Services and guested at Aberdeen. At the end of the war, he returned to Tottenham. He went on to play in an unbroken run of 247 matches between April 1948 and March 1954.  Tottenham won promotion as Division Two champions in 1949–50 and the First division league title the following year. Capped 6 times and went to the WC Finals in 1950.

RB: Joe Kinnear (Ireland)
Kinnear spent ten years with Tottenham Hotspurs, making almost 200 league appearances for them. He won four major honours during his time at the club: the FA Cup in 1967; the UEFA Cup in 1972 and the Football League Cup in 1971and 1973). In 1975, he moved to Brighton.  Kinnear was capped 26 times by the Republic of Ireland, scoring no goals. His debut came in the 2–1 defeat by Turkey on 22 February 1967.

CB/RB/CM: Steve Perryman (England)
Steve Perryman is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s. Perryman was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1982 and made a club record 854 first team appearances for Tottenham.  He was only capped once by England in 1982.

CB: Gary Mabbutt (England)
Gary Mabbutt became one of the best known defenders in English football in the 1980s, playing initially for Bristol Rovers before joining the first division club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became captain. With Spurs, he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and the FA Cup in 1991 (as captain). However, he scored an own goal in the 1987 FA Cup that gave Coventry the cup. He played 16 times for England between 1982 and 1992. He scored his only international goal against Yugoslavia. 

Gary Mabbutt

CB: Sol Campbell (England)
Sol Campbell was a member of Arsenal's "Invincibles" that went undefeated in 2003-2004 season.  He spent 9 seasons for Tottenham Hotspurs and served as its captain before moving to its rival Arsenal on a free transfer that sparked a controversy.  He later played for Portsmouth. For England, he earned 73 caps in 11 years.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006, and three other European Championship in that period.

CB Mike England (Wales)
Mike England helped Tottenham Hotspurs to win the UEFA Cup in 1972 and reached the Final again two years later.  He also played for Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff.  England played in the North American Soccer League with the Seattle Sounders from 1975 to 1979.  He was capped 44 times for Wales and was also the youngest Welsh captain at one point.

CB: Ledley King (England)
Ledley King spent his entire career with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was among the best defender in the Premiership during his prime, but his international career was limited by a golden generation of great English centre backs.  He only had 21 caps due to fierce competition in his position. He went to the 2004 European Championship and 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, but missed the World Cup Finals 2006 due to an injury.

Ledley King

LB: Cyril Knowles (England)
Knowles would spend 11 years at White Hart Lane. He scored 17 goals in 507 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, winning the FA Cup in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 1973 and a UEFA Cup winners medal in 1972. In 1975, with Spurs needing victory to avoid relegation against Leeds United the reigning First Division champions and 1975 European Cup finalists, Knowles scored twice in a 4–2 victory.  Capped 4 times for England.

LB: Ron Henry (England)

Henry joined Tottenham in 1952 from Redbourn and made his debut in 1955 as a centre half but was soon converted to leftback. He was a regular in Spurs' defence for many years, and his honours include being a member of The Double winning side of 1961, the 1962 FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1963. Overall, Henry played 247 league games for Tottenham, scoring one goal.  He played once for England.

CM/DM/LB: Dave MacKay (Scotland)
Known for his toughness and passing abilities. He won the Double with Tottenham Hotspurs in 1961 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.  He was selected as one of the Football Heros stamp series to celebrate the 150 years of English FA. He also represented Scotland 22 times, and was selected for their 1958 FIFA World Cup squad. Mackay tied with Tony Book of Manchester City for the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award in 1969.

Dave McKay

CM/LH: Ron Burgess (Wales)
Burgess was a miner before becoming a footballer. He spent majority of his career with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was the captain of Tottenham Hotspurs' League champion team in 1951. Burgess joined Swansea Town in 1954 as a player and played until 1956, taking over as manager of Swansea Town from 1955 to 1958. For Wales, he played 32 times and was the captain.

CM:  Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina)
Osvaldo Ardiles was the central midfielder when Argentina won the World Cup in 1978.  From 1975 to 1982, he earned 52 caps. He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1982. At the club level, he also played for Club Atlético Belgrano and Huracán.  He was also one of the first foreigners to play in England.  He was a top player with Tottenham Hotspurs. He won the FA Cup in 1981.  He left Tottenham briefly because of the Falklands War. He later won the UEFA Cup in 1984 for them.

CM/AM:  Danny Blanchflower (Northern Ireland)
Danny Blanchflower is considered one of Northern Ireland's greatest footballers.  He won the Double in 1961 with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He won the FA Cup the following year, and then, a Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.  He was the PWA Player of the Year in 1958 and 1961. He also played for Aston Villa and Barnsley before joining Hotspurs. He went to the World Cup in 1958, where Northern Ireland reached the quarterfinal.

Danny Blanchflower

LW: Cliff Jones (Wales)

Jones was the best left winger in the world during the early 1960's. He won the Double with Tottenham in 1961-1962.  He also won the 1963 Cup Winners' Cup. He also played for Swansea and Fulham.  He played 59 times in all for Wales, scoring 16 goals. He went to play at the 1958 WC Finals in Sweden. He also was the hero of Wales' 1955 victory over England.

LWF/FW: Son Heung-min (South Korea)

Son finished his development at Hamburger SV, where he made his debut in the German Bundesliga in 2010. In 2013, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen for a club record €10 million, and played for the club in the Europa League and Champions League. Two years later, he signed for Tottenham for £22 million, becoming the most expensive Asian player in history. While at Tottenham, he became the top Asian goalscorer in Premier League history.

RW/LW:  Gareth Bale (Wales)
Bale began his professional career at Southampton. Bale moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. In 2011 and 2013, he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year.  His transfer to Real Madrid in 2013 was believed to be the most expensive in history.  He won two Champions League title with Real Madrid.  He scored the winning goal in the 2014 version. In 2016, he led Wales to reach the semifinal of Euro 2016.

Gareth Bale

AM: Paul Gascoigne (England)

Gazza was the most gifted player of his generation, but his career was marked controversy and injuries.  He played for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio.   In 1995, he joined Rangers with a club record fee. He had a successful career at Rangers, but he left in 1998 and went to play for many clubs all over the world.  For England, he earned 57 times.  He was remembered for the tears in his eyes as he received his yellow card against West Germany in the semi-final.

AM: Glenn Hoddle (England)
Glenn Hoddle often considered one of the most talented players of his generation, but not always appreciated by his fans.  He played mainly with Tottenham Hotspurs, where he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and two FA Cups.  He also played for AS Monaco, Swindon and Chelsea. Huddle played 53 times for England. He went to the 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals, helping England to reach the quarter-finals in the latter tournament.

Glenn Hoddle

ST: Bobby Smith (England)
Bobby Smith was the second all-time leading scorer for Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was an integral part of Bill Nicholson's famous double winning Tottenham team of 1960/1961 (scoring in the final of the FA Cup), which went on to retain the FA Cup in 1962 (scoring in the Final again) and win the 1963 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.  He also played for Chelsea before his career with Tottenham and he played for Brighton at the end of his career. He capped 15 times, scoring 13 goals.

ST: Harry Kane (England)
At the time of writing, Kane has played his entire career with Tottenham Hotspurs, except a few seasons on loan.  Kane made his first-team debut for Tottenham in 2011.  He finished top scorer of both the 2015–16 and the 2016–17 Premier League seasons, and aided Tottenham in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League on both occasions.  For England, he has earned over 30 caps. He captained England at the 2018 World Ciup Finals, he won the Golden Booth award.

Harry Kane

ST: Gary Lineker (England)
Gary Lineker was one of England's best goal poachers.  He scored 48 goals for England(second overall) and won the Golden Boot with 6 goals at 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.  He was PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1985–86 and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1985–86 and 1991–92.  In England, he played with Leicester Town, Everton and Tottenham Hotspurs.

ST: Martin Chivers (England)
From 1962 to 1966, Martin Chivers played with Southampton. He  moved to Tottenham Hotspurs in 1968, breaking the tran sager record at the time.  During the 1971–72 campaign, Chivers hit the best form of his career, netting 44 times in 64 first team appearances. He scored eight times in 11 UEFA Cup matches in 1972, in which Tottenham became champion.  He was indicted to Tottenham's Hall of Fame. Chivers was capped 24 times for England.

ST/SS: Jimmy Greaves (England)
Jimmy Greaves was the top scorer in the English league for 4 seasons. He won the FA Cup in 1962 and 1967, and the UEFA Cup in 1963. He started with Chelsea, but alo played with AC Milan and spent 9 seasons with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was a member of the World Cup winning team in 1966.  However, he lost his starting position after suffering an injury against France.  Sir Ramsey used Geoff Hurst in the remaining matches in the World Cup Finals.

Jimmy Greaves

Honorable Mention
Tony Parks (England), Ian Walker (England), Heurelho Gomes (Brazil), Paul Robinson (England), Bill Brown (Scotland), Hugo Lloris (France), Erik Thorstvedt (Norway), Maurice Norman (England), Graham Roberts (England), Toby Alderweireld (Belgium), Harry Clarke (England), Cristian Romero (Argentina), Michael Dawson (England), Richard Gough (Scotland), Mel Hopkins (England), Pedro Porro (Portugal), Chris Hughton (Ireland), Peter Baker (England),Sir Alf Ramsey (England), Danny Rose (England), Stephen Carr (England), Kyle Walker (England),  Vedran Ćorluka (Croatia), Phil Beal (England), Jan Vertonghen (Belgium), Bill Nicholson (England), Martin Peters (England), Alan Mullery (England), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Luka Modric (Croatia), Chris Waddle (England), David Ginola (France), Darren Anderton (England), Ricky Villa (Argentina), Terry Sheringham (England), Clive Allen (England), Len Duquemin (England), Steve Archibald (Scotland), Vivian Woodward (England), Jermaine Defoe (England), Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany).

Squad Explanation
-- The original team was created in 2016. I redid it on June 2025.
-- Bill Nicholson got onto honourable mention as a player. I rated him more as a manager.  He led Tottenham Hotspurs to the League/FA Cup Double in 1960-1961 season.  I selected the following players from that team: Danny Blanchflower, Dave MacKay, John White, Cliff Jones and Bobby Smith. Blanchflower was their captain while Bobby Smith was their top scorer. 

1960-1961 Double winning team

-- The team that reached the 2019 Champions' League Final would one day be rewarded for their achievement.  At the time of writing, Harry Kane is the only member on the team.  Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Dele Alli may have a chance to win a spot at the end of their career. 

-- In October 2024, the Hotspur HQ created their ranking of the 10 Greatest players for Tottenham. The ranking was as followed: 1) Harry Kane, 2) Jimmy Greaves, 3) Glenn Hoddle, 4) Ledley King, 5) Dave Mackay, 6) Danny Blanchflower, 7) Pat Jennings, 8) Gary Lineker, 9) Paul Gascoigne and 10) Garth Bale. 

-- In 2017, Daily Mail published their list of 20 Greatest Players Tottenham Hotspurs.  The ranking: 1) Jimmy Greaves, 2) Glenn Hoddle, 3) Dave Mackay, 4) Danny Blanchflower, 5) Paul Gascoigne, 6) Gary Lineker, 7) Cliff Jones, 8) Ledley King, 9) Garth Bale, 10) Steve Perryman, 11) Ossie Ardiles, 12) Martin Chivers, 13) Ricky Villa, 14) Luka Modric, 15) Teddy Sheringham, 16) Pat Jennings, 17) Jurgen Klinsmann, 18) Harry Kane, 19)  Dimitar Berbatov and 20) Christian Eriksen.

Goalkeepers

-- Pat Jennings was probably known as one of the greatest ever goalkeeper from the United Kingdom. In Tottenham, he was named the FWA Footballer of the Year (1972–73) and PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1975–76 while playing here.

-- The older fans regarded Ted Ditchburn as their greatest goalkeeper. He made nearly 450 appearances for the club and played a key role in securing back-to-back titles under manager Arthur Rowe—first winning the Division Two championship in 1949-50, then earning promotion and claiming the Division One title in 1950-51.

--I chose Ray Clemence largely due to his international stature, but Bill Brown may have actually achieved more during his time at the club. While Clemence lifted the UEFA Cup, Brown was part of the legendary Double-winning side and also claimed the European Cup Winners' Cup. Additionally, Brown had the unenviable task of replacing the iconic Ted Ditchburn in goal—a challenge he met with remarkable success.

-- Hugo Lloris, Erik Thorstvedt, Tony Parks, Brad Friedel, Ian Walker, Heurelho Gomes and Paul Robinson were some of the famous goalkeepers who played here.

-- Goal.com also had an All-Time Ultimate Tottenham Dream Team.  The lineup was: Pat Jennings, Steve Perryman, Ledley King, Sol Campbell, Cyril Knowles, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Glenn Hoddle, Jimmy Greaves, Harry Kane and Terry Sheringham.

Defenders

-- For my centerbacks, I’ve selected Sol Campbell, Gary Mabbutt, Ledley King, and Mike England as the standout center-backs. Unfortunately, that leaves no room for the great Mauricе Norman, a key figure in Spurs’ historic 1960-61 Double-winning side.

-- Ledley King was one club man for Tottenham Hotspurs.  Many considered him Tottenham's greatest centerback. Mike England was part of the team that won the FA Cup in 1967, the UEFA Cup in 1972 and the Football League Cup currently known as the EFL Cup in 1971 and 1973. Gary Mabbutt who spent 16 years with the club won an UEFA Cup respectively.  

-- Sol Campbell's controversial move to Arsenal was overlooked because I also selected Pat Jennings who made the same move (but the fans mainly blamed the club for his exit).  I did not select Luis Figo for Barcelona, but Ashley Cole made my all-time team for both Chelsea and Arsenal.  The diehard Tottenham fans might disagree with my decisions on Campbell and Jennings.  Graham Roberts, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Harry Clarke, Michael Dawson and Richard Gough also made honorable mentions.  After Tottenham won the Europa League in 2025, I added Cristian Romero to the list.  He was named Europa League Player of the Season.

-- Steve Perryman played various positions on the team.  He only moved to the rightback position at the the end of the career. While he was probably one of Tottenham's greatest rightbacks, I selected him because I could fit the team with players from other positions.  He was an All-Timer for the club. He was FWA Player of the Year in 1982.  He also holds the club's appearance record.  Tottenham's greatest rightbacks were probably Joe Kinnear, Peter Baker or Sir Alf Ramsey. Baker was a key player for the Double winning season.  Ramsey was better remembered as England's manager in the 1966 World Cup Finals.  But I selected Kinnear because he was Tottenham's first choice rightback for for 9 years winning four trophies.  The other rightbacks considered were Stephen Carr, Kyle Walker and Vedran Ćorluka.

Steve Perryman

-- Two leftbacks who stood out in Tottenham's history were Ron Henry and Cyril Knowles.  Knowles was probably their greatest ever.  He was a pioneer as an attacking fullback in England.  Henry was one club player who won the Double for the club.  I also looked into Chris Hughton and Danny Rose. Dave MacKay and Gary Mabbut could also operate as a leftback. The position was well-taken care of.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- In central defensive midfield, Dave MacKay is a very obvious choice. The iconic photo of him confronting Leeds United's Billy Bremner spoke volume.  It demonstrated him as the hardman in the game of football. He was the heart and soul of the club during his time in London.  Alan Mullery or Martin Peters would have been a good backup defensive midfielder, but I did not have enough space.  Instead, I took Ron Burgress. He was a key figure in Arthur Rowe "push and run" side in the 1950's.

-- Osvaldo Ardiles was a fan favorite.  He was also the first foreign player to become a star at the club.  I also needed him as a deep playmaker.  His teammate and countryman Ricky Villa made honourable mention. 

Osvaldo Ardiles

-- Both Glenn Hoddle and Danny Blanchflower were undisputed. Both were often listed within the top 5 greatest ever players for the club.  Hoddle was one of the most technically gifted players to ever play for this team. Blanchflower was the PWA Player of the Year in 1958 and 1961.  He captained Tottenham Hotspur, most notably during its double-winning season of 1960–61.  Some considered Tottenham Hotspurs' greatest players.

-- Then, I added Paul Gascoigne.  He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1990 while he was still with the club.  However, he won the award largely because of his performance for England in the World Cup Finals. Nevertheless, he was consistently mentioned among the greatest ever for the club.

-- Luka Modric might be the best player ever to don the white jersey, but he did not elevate to that status during his stay here.  His best football was played with Real Madrid and Croatia.  Osvaldo Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle and Danny Blanchflower were more symbolic for the club. I did not have the heart to drop John White in 2016. He helped them to win the Double and died a year after winning the Cup Winners' Cup.  However, I decided not to retain him in 2025.  

-- Chris Waddle, David Ginola and Christian Eriksen also deserved the spot too.

-- Gareth Bale also got selected for being one of the best players in the world while playing with Hotspurs.  He edged out David Ginola who also was named the PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year.

Son Heung-min was added to the team in 2025 after Tottenham clinched the Europa League title.  By 2025, he has played over a decade with the club.  He is now 7th in appearance record.  Furthermore, his partnership with Harry Kane was among the greatest ever. He could play both sides of the wing as well as a forward.  On the left, I have Cliff Jones who scored 159 goals in 379 matches for Spurs. He won the FA Cup three times, the Division One title once and the Cup Winners’ Cup.  He was often ranked among the greatest over here.

Forwards

-- Tottenham Hotspurs has many great strikers. Jimmy Greaves joined Tottenham Hotspurs in 1961 right after the "Double" season. He was the highest goal scorer in the history of English top-flight football (357 goals) and 266 of them were scored wearing Tottenham's jersey.  

-- Harry Kane is Tottenham's All-Time leading scorer. And in recent list, he is often hinted as the club's greatest ever player.  

-- Len Duquemin, Alan Gilzean, Martin Chivers, Bobby Smith, Jurgen Klinsmann and Gary Lineker for the remaining striker pots.  

-- Bobby Smith was probably rated higher than Gilzean and Chivers.  He also had the stats and the medals to back up his credentials. Alan Chivers often listed as one of the greatest for this club. He is the third All-Time leading scorer for Spurs, scoring goals in the 1971 and 1973 League Cup and 1972 UEFA Cup triumphs.  Both are on this all-time team.

Bobby Smith

-- Then, I have chosen one between Gary Lineker and Jurgen Klinsmann.  Both of them have more international recognition than the other players mentioned.  Klinsmann was a fan favorite and a FWA Player of the Year winner.  The fans also won't forget how he scored 4 goals and saved Tottenham from relegation in 1998. However, Lineker scored 80 goals in just three seasons and won a FA Cup.  He also had a longer career with Hotspurs than Klinsmann. So I went with Lineker. 

-- Jermaine Defoe and Clive Allen did not make the team. Defoe spent many seasons with the club but went trophy-less and only scored around 70 goals.  The others produced better results.  Allen was a one season wonder.  He scored 49 goals in a single season. Teddy Sheringham also only made honorable mention.

Formation