Tottenham Hotspur Most Iconic Players

Tottenham Hotspur are stalwarts of English football. The club has been at the forefront of many a dramatic moment, laid on by some of the best players to play the game on these shores.

Who are the former Tottenham Hotspur players that hold a special place in the heart of the fans? We’ve taken a trip down memory lane and plucked out some of the best ever Tottenham Hotspur players to wear the shirt.

Jimmy Greaves

• Position: Striker
• Apps: 321
• Goals: 266
• Memorable moment: Scoring a fine opening goal in the FA Cup final against Burnley in 1962

A name synonymous with Tottenham and English football as a whole, Jimmy Greaves was a phenomenon who could finish from every angle.

Starting out at Chelsea, Greaves actually scored on his First Division debut for the Blues against Spurs in 1957 and went on to become league top scorer the following season before repeating the feat in the 1960/61 campaign.

After transferring to AC Milan for £80,000 — a move that proved short lived — London came calling again in the shape of Tottenham.

Greaves was signed by Spurs manager Bill Nicholson for £99,999 in 1961, the transfer fee standing as such because Nicholson did not want Greaves to be saddled with the pressure of being Britain's first £100,000 player.

The rest is history. He scored a hat-trick on his debut against Blackpool and didn’t look back, hitting 266 goals across a glittering career, which produced multiple trophies in what is referred to as the ‘Glory, Glory Years’ by Tottenham fans.

Harry Kane

• Position: Striker
• Apps: 435
• Goals: 280
• Memorable moment: An incredible goal against North London rivals Arsenal from the corner of the penalty box

Arguably the greatest player in the history of Tottenham, Harry Kane was a model of consistency and professionalism throughout his spell in North London and beyond.

Relatively unknown in the early stages of his career, Kane fine-tuned his skills with loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall (where he won young player of the year), Norwich and Leicester before forcing his way into the Tottenham team.

Tim Sherwood gave him his first start but it was Mauricio Pochettino who trusted him to become his starting centre forward — once he was handed the role, he never looked back.

While a Spurs player Kane won the Premier League Golden Boot award three times (2015/16, 2016/17, 2020/21) as well as the PFA Fans' Player of the Year in 2016/17 and the World Cup Golden Boot in 2018.

With 280 goals, no player has ever scored more for the North London outfit.

Son Heung-min

• Position: Forward
• Apps: 408
• Goals: 162
• Memorable moment: Scoring a Puskas Award-winning goal against Burnley with a blistering run that began next to his own penalty box

Considered by many to be the greatest Asian player of all-time, Son was signed by Tottenham Hotspur from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He has broken numerous records since making the switch from Germany to the Premier League.

He became the first Asian player to score 100 goals in the Premier League, the highest-scoring Asian player in Europe and the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot (23 goals in 202/22, shared with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool).

As rapid as they come with the ball at his feet, Son is composed in front of goal, has two good feet and can set up goals for others.

In the summer of 2023, with Harry Kane moving to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, Son succeeded the Spurs legend as club captain.

Glenn Hoddle

• Position: Midfielder
• Apps: 490
• Goals: 110
• Memorable moment: A beautiful turn and chip against Watford

Some sections of the Spurs supporters base — and many others besides — would contend Glenn Hoddle is one of the most technically gifted players this country has ever produced. It’s difficult to argue against that notion.

After joining the club at the age of 12, Hoddle made his senior debut as a precociously talented 17-year-old in 1975 against Norwich and made his mark later that season with a stunning strike against Stoke City.

Lean and tall but with a magnificent turn of foot, Hoddle positively purred as a playmaker. He was not afraid to take risks and be creative. He often pushed the boundaries and tried new things, leading to some of the most memorable moments in Tottenham’s modern history — his stunning turn-and-chip goal against Watford was just one example of the sort of magic Hoddle was capable of conjuring.

He was a key part of the side that won two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup in the early part of the 1980s, but perhaps never got the personal recognition many felt he deserved.

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