Ledley King facts for kids
King in 2008
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ledley Brenton King | ||
| Date of birth | 12 October 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Bow, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Tottenham Hotspur (club ambassador) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | Senrab | ||
| 1996–1999 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 268 | (10) |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1997 | England U16 | 5 | (0) |
| 1999 | England U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | England U21 | 12 | (1) |
| 2002–2010 | England | 21 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020–2021 | Tottenham Hotspur (assistant coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is a former English professional footballer. He played his entire career for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He played 323 games for them between 1999 and 2012. Today, he is a club ambassador for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ledley King was known as a fantastic central defender. In 2009, The Times newspaper called him Tottenham's 25th best player ever. He played 21 times for the England national team from 2002 to 2010. He scored two goals for England. He also played for England in UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Later in his career, King had serious knee problems. Doctors could not find a cure for his knees. Because of this, he trained differently from his teammates. He did special fitness exercises on his own. This allowed him to play one game per week. His former manager, Harry Redknapp, called King "an absolute freak." This was because King could play at a high level even without full training. Other players and experts also said he was one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
King stopped playing football on 19 July 2012. This was because of his ongoing knee injuries. In August 2020, King became an assistant coach at Tottenham. He worked with manager José Mourinho.
Contents
Early Football Journey
Ledley King was born in Bow, London in 1980. As a young player, he played for Senrab F.C. and a local team in Tower Hamlets. He went to Blessed John Roche RC School, which is now closed. King joined Tottenham as a trainee in July 1996. He moved up through their youth teams. Even as a trainee, people noticed he had skills like the famous player Bobby Moore.
Playing for Tottenham Hotspur
Starting His Senior Career (1999–2001)
King played his first senior game in May 1999. It was a 3–2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. When he first joined the main team, manager George Graham often used him as a midfielder. He became a regular player for Spurs after a great game in midfield against Liverpool in November 2000. Tottenham won that game 2–1.
His first goal for Tottenham was in December 2000. It was in a 3–3 draw against Bradford City. He scored after only ten seconds! This was a new Premier League record for the fastest goal. This record stood for over 18 years. It was finally broken in 2019 by Shane Long.
Key Moments and Challenges (2006–2012)
King hurt his knee before the 2006–07 season started. He did not play until mid-September. Then he broke a bone in his foot again. He did not play for Spurs from Boxing Day until April. That season, Tottenham played 59 games. But King played in less than half of them. Without King, Tottenham struggled to keep opponents from scoring.
In a Premier League game against Chelsea at White Hart Lane, Spurs won 2–1. King was the captain. This was Tottenham's first league win over Chelsea since 1990. It was also their first win against Chelsea at White Hart Lane since 1987.
King had surgery in the summer of 2007. This meant he missed the start of the next season. On Boxing Day 2007, King made a surprise return. He played against Fulham. He played 73 minutes before being replaced. He played sometimes for the rest of the season. He captained Tottenham to a 2–1 win over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final. This was the first major trophy of his career.
On 3 April 2008, it was announced that King would rest for the rest of the season. Tottenham was out of other competitions. King had played only 10 games that season. Only four of those were in the Premier League.
On 12 August 2008, King received a trophy for the cleanest team in the Premier League. He got the award at a special event.
At the start of the 2008–09 season, it was clear King's knee problems meant he could not play every game. Manager Juande Ramos played him in cup games. But he played him in only two league games. Tottenham was at the bottom of the league. Ramos was then replaced by Harry Redknapp. Redknapp decided to focus on the league. He only played King in those games. On 26 October 2008, King played his 200th league game for Tottenham. They beat Bolton Wanderers 2–0. He captained the team again in the League Cup final. This time it was against Manchester United. The game ended 0–0 after 120 minutes. Tottenham lost on penalties.
Harry Redknapp spoke about King's knee injury: "There's no cure. It's just bone on bone. So it's just a question of managing it. He rarely trains. But even if he only plays 20 games a season, he's worth having because he's so good."
King won his first game against Arsenal in the league on 14 April 2010. Tottenham won 2–1. Three weeks later, on 5 May 2010, King captained Tottenham to a 1–0 win at Manchester City. This meant Tottenham finished highest ever in the Premier League. They also qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. King was a doubt for the match. But his performance helped him get into Fabio Capello's England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 16 May 2010, it was reported King signed a new two-year contract. This kept him at the club until 2012.
The next season, he played 3 games for Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League. In 2011, a steel statue of King was put up in Mile End Park.
On 19 July 2012, King announced he would stop playing football. He continued to work for Tottenham as a club ambassador. Thierry Henry said King was the best defender he had played against. He said King was the only one who could tackle him without fouling. Throughout his career, King received only eight yellow cards. This is very unusual for a defender.
Playing After Retirement
On 12 May 2014, Ledley played his last game at White Hart Lane. It was his testimonial match. King's team, with players like David Ginola and Teddy Sheringham, played against a Tottenham team. King scored the first goal from a penalty. His team won 6–3.
In October 2018, King managed a charity match. It was for Des Beresford, a former semi-professional footballer. King could not play because of his knees. He said he was happy to manage and help out.
On 14 May 2023, King and other former Tottenham players played in another charity match. It was at the ground of non-league club Bishop's Stortford F.C.. The match raised money for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance.
On 23 March 2025, King played in a charity match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It was for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. King captained the Spurs Legends team. They won 6-2 against AC Milan Glorie.
Playing for England
King played his first game for England in March 2002. England lost 2–1 to Italy. He was called up for a friendly game against Portugal in February 2004. He scored his first goal for England in that game.
King was part of the England squad for Euro 2004. He filled in for the injured John Terry in the first game against France. He also came on as a substitute in midfield against Croatia.
King played regularly in the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But he broke a bone in his foot in April 2006. This injury stopped him from being in Sven-Göran Eriksson's World Cup squad. The manager said, "Ledley King is injured and he can't train. Taking another one half-injured when we have so many good ones is not a good idea."
King played in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia in June 2007. England won 3–0. He was in Fabio Capello's first squad. But he had to pull out due to injury. Because of his knee problem, he was not picked for England games in 2007 and 2008.
On 22 March 2009, King was called back to the England team. This was for games against Slovakia and Ukraine. But two days later, he was removed from the squad. England's medical staff thought it was better for him to continue his special training at his club.
Fabio Capello later said, "Without doubt, King is one of the best central defenders in England. If he was fit, King could come with us." He also said, "We hope (he has an international future), because he's a very interesting player – one of the best centre-backs."
On 11 May 2010, King was named in the 30-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal against Mexico in a friendly game on 24 May.
King made it into England's World Cup 2010 squad. On 12 June 2010, King played 45 minutes for England in their first match against the US. He then got a groin injury. This kept him out of the rest of the tournament.
Coaching Role
On 26 July 2020, Tottenham Hotspur manager José Mourinho confirmed that King would be an assistant coach. On 6 August 2020, Tottenham announced King would be a first-team assistant coach. He had been a club ambassador before this. After José Mourinho left, King went back to his full-time club ambassador duties.
Personal Life
Ledley King is a cousin of Ipswich Town player Ben Johnson.
Honours and Achievements
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup: 2007–08 winner; runner-up in 2001–02 and 2008–09
Individual Awards
- Premier League Player of the Month: September 2004
See also
In Spanish: Ledley King para niños
- List of one-club men in association football
