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Glenn Hoddle
Personal information
Hoddle in 2014
Full name	Glenn Hoddle
Date of birth	(1957-10-27) 27 October 1957 (age 67)
Place of birth	Hayes, Middlesex, England
Height	6 ft 0 in
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1970–1975	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1975–1987	Tottenham Hotspur	377	(88)
1987–1991	Monaco	69	(27)
1991–1993	Swindon Town	67	(2)
1993–1995	Chelsea	31	(1)
Total		544	(118)
National team
1975–1976	England Youth	8	(2)
1976–1980	England U21	12	(2)
1979	England B	2	(1)
1979–1988	England	53	(8)
Teams managed
1991–1993	Swindon Town (player-manager)
1993–1996	Chelsea
1996–1999	England
2000–2001	Southampton
2001–2003	Tottenham Hotspur
2004–2006	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Glenn Hoddle (born 27 October 1957) is a famous English former football player and manager. He is known for being one of the most talented English footballers of his time. People admired his amazing balance, ball control, passing skills, and powerful shots. He was also very smart with his tactics on the field.

After his playing career, Hoddle became a manager for several clubs and even the England national team. Today, he works as a football expert and commentator on TV for ITV Sport and TNT Sports.

Early Life and Football Dreams

Glenn Hoddle was born on October 27, 1957, in Hayes, Middlesex. His family soon moved to Harlow, Essex. From a young age, Glenn loved football. He started supporting Tottenham Hotspur when he was just eight years old. His favorite player was Martin Chivers.

When Glenn was 11, Chivers and another player, Ray Evans, saw him play at a school cup final. They were so impressed that they invited him to train with Tottenham. At 15, he even played for a local Sunday league team with his dad.

Playing Career Highlights

Glenn Hoddle joined Tottenham as a junior player when he was 12. He officially signed with the club as an apprentice on April 17, 1974.

Becoming a Tottenham Star

Hoddle playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 1983.

Hoddle made his first team debut for Spurs when he was 17. This was on August 30, 1975, against Norwich City. He scored his first winning goal in a league match on February 21, 1976.

Even when Tottenham was relegated to the Second Division, Hoddle helped them get back to the top league quickly. His international career started with the England Under-21 team in 1976. He scored in his first full international game for England against Bulgaria in 1979.

The 1979–80 season was a big one for Hoddle. He scored 19 goals and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. In 1981, he helped Spurs win the FA Cup. The next season, they won the FA Cup again, with Hoddle scoring in both the final and the replay. He also played for England in the FIFA World Cup in 1982.

I've heard a lot about you, but I didn't realise how good you were until I played against you.

In 1983, Hoddle helped Spurs beat Feyenoord Rotterdam, a team that included the legendary player Johan Cruyff. Cruyff was very impressed by Hoddle's performance.

Hoddle was a key player when Tottenham won the UEFA Cup in 1984. He played his last game for Spurs in the 1987 FA Cup Final, which they sadly lost. He scored 110 goals in 490 games for Tottenham. Only a few players have played more games for the club.

Moving to AS Monaco

In 1987, Hoddle left Tottenham to play for AS Monaco in France. The manager there was Arsène Wenger. Hoddle quickly helped Monaco win the French league title in 1988. He was even voted the Best Foreign Player in French football.

A serious knee injury later affected his time in France. He left Monaco in 1990.

England International Career

Hoddle made his debut for the senior England team on November 22, 1979, scoring in a 2–0 win against Bulgaria. He played in the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments. England reached the quarter-finals in 1986.

He also played in the European Championship in 1980 and 1988. His last international game was in June 1988 against the Soviet Union. In total, he scored eight goals for England in 53 appearances over nine years.

Managerial Career

Leading Swindon Town

Glenn Hoddle became a player-manager for Swindon Town in March 1991. The club was having a tough time. Hoddle helped them avoid relegation and improved their performance.

In 1993, he led Swindon to the playoffs for the top league. They beat Leicester City 4–3 at Wembley Stadium, earning promotion to the Premier League. Hoddle even scored Swindon's first goal in that final!

Managing Chelsea

In June 1993, Hoddle became the player-manager for Chelsea. In his first season, he led Chelsea to the FA Cup final, but they lost to Manchester United. However, because Manchester United won both the league and the FA Cup, Chelsea still got a spot in a European competition.

Hoddle helped Chelsea become a stronger team. He brought in talented players like Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes.

Managing England

Hoddle became the manager of the England national football team in 1996. He successfully guided England to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. England reached the second round of the tournament, where they lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout.

Hoddle's time as England manager ended in 1999. There was a lot of public discussion after an interview where his words about people with disabilities were widely misunderstood. He said his words were "misconstrued, misunderstood and misinterpreted." The Football Association ended his contract. Hoddle apologized for any offense caused and continued to support charities for disabled people.

Returning to Club Management

Hoddle returned to football as manager of Southampton in January 2000. He helped them stay in the Premier League.

In March 2001, he went back to his old club, Tottenham Hotspur, as manager. In 2002, Tottenham reached the League Cup final, but they lost to Blackburn Rovers. He was named Premier League Manager of the Month twice during his time at Spurs. He left Tottenham in September 2003 after a difficult start to the season.

Hoddle then managed Wolverhampton Wanderers from December 2004 to July 2006.

Glenn Hoddle Academy

In 2008, Glenn Hoddle started the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain. The academy's goal is to give young players who have been released by English clubs another chance to become professional footballers.

Life After Management

Media Career

Since retiring from coaching, Hoddle has worked as a football expert and commentator. He has worked for channels like ESPN, ITV Sport, and BT Sport, covering major tournaments like the World Cup and European Championship.

Singing Career

In 1987, Hoddle released a pop song called "Diamond Lights" with his Tottenham and England teammate Chris Waddle. The song reached number 12 in the UK music charts.

In 2021, Glenn Hoddle appeared on the TV show The Masked Singer in the UK. He was disguised as the Grandfather Clock!

Personal Life

Glenn Hoddle has been married twice and has three children. In 2008, his younger brother, Carl Hoddle, who was also a footballer, sadly passed away at age 40.

On his 61st birthday in 2018, Hoddle suffered a cardiac arrest while at a TV studio. He was very lucky to be saved by a quick-thinking employee who knew how to use a defibrillator. He recovered at home after surgery.

In 2021, Hoddle published his autobiography, called Playmaker.

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Tottenham Hotspur

FA Cup: 1981, 1982
UEFA Cup: 1984
FA Charity Shield: 1981 (shared)

AS Monaco

Division 1: 1988

Individual Awards

PFA Young Player of the Year: 1979–80
PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87
Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year (France): 1987–88
English Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 2007

As a Player-Manager

Swindon Town

Football League First Division play-offs: 1993 (promoted to Premier League)

Chelsea

FA Cup runner-up: 1994

As a Manager