Ledley King facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ledley King

King in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1980-10-12) 12 October 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	Bow, England
Height	6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Tottenham Hotspur (club ambassador)
Youth career
0000–1996	Senrab
1996–1999	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2012	Tottenham Hotspur	268	(10)
National team
1996–1997	England U16	5	(0)
1999	England U18	3	(0)
1999–2001	England U21	12	(1)
2002–2010	England	21	(2)
Teams managed
2020–2021	Tottenham Hotspur (assistant coach)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ledley Brenton King (born October 12, 1980) is an English former 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 very good central defender. In 2009, The Times newspaper called him one of Tottenham's best players ever. He also played 21 games for the England national team from 2002 to 2010. He scored two goals for England and played in major tournaments like 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 could not train with his teammates. Instead, he did special exercises on his own. This allowed him to play one game each week. His former manager, Harry Redknapp, said it was amazing that King could play so well without regular training. Many people said King was one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Ledley King stopped playing football on July 19, 2012. This was because of his ongoing knee injuries. In August 2020, he became an assistant coach for Tottenham.

Early Career 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 joined Tottenham as a trainee in July 1996. He moved up through their youth teams. Even as a young player, people noticed he had skills like the famous footballer Bobby Moore.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1999–2001

King played his first game for Tottenham in May 1999. It was a 3-2 loss against Liverpool. When he first joined the main team, he often played as a midfielder. He became a regular player for Tottenham in November 2000. This happened after a great game in midfield against Liverpool, which Tottenham won 2-1.

His first goal for Tottenham was in December 2000. He scored after only ten seconds in a 3-3 draw against Bradford City. This was a new Premier League record for the fastest goal. This record lasted for over 18 years.

Later Years and Success: 2006–2012

In 2006, King hurt his knee before the season started. He did not play until mid-September. He later broke a bone in his foot. This meant he missed many games. Tottenham played 59 games that season, but King played in less than half of them.

In a Premier League game against Chelsea, King was the captain. Tottenham won 2-1. This was Tottenham's first league win against Chelsea since 1990.

King had knee surgery in the summer of 2007. This meant he missed the start of the new season. He made a surprise return on Boxing Day 2007 against Fulham. He played for 73 minutes. 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 big trophy of his career.

By 2008, it was clear that King's knee problems meant he could not play every game. His manager, Harry Redknapp, decided to play King mainly in league games. On October 26, 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 against Manchester United. Tottenham kept a clean sheet for 120 minutes, but lost the game on penalties.

Harry Redknapp talked about King's knee injury. He said there was no cure for it. He explained that King rarely trained with the team. Instead, he mostly worked out in the gym. Redknapp said that even if King only played 20 games a season, he was worth having because he was so good.

On April 14, 2010, King won his first game against Arsenal in the league. Tottenham won 2-1. Three weeks later, on May 5, 2010, King captained Tottenham to a 1-0 win against Manchester City. This win helped Tottenham finish in their highest ever position in the Premier League. It also meant they would play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

In 2011, a steel statue of King was put up in Mile End Park. On July 19, 2012, King announced he was retiring from football. He continued to work for Tottenham as a club ambassador. Famous player Thierry Henry said King was the best defender he had ever played against. He said King was the only one who could tackle him without fouling. King received only eight yellow cards in his whole career. This is very few for a defender.

Testimonial Match

On May 12, 2014, Ledley King played one last game at White Hart Lane. This was his special testimonial match. King played with a team of guest players, including David Ginola and Teddy Sheringham. They played against a Tottenham Hotspur team. King scored the first goal from a penalty kick. His team won the game 6-3.

International Career for England

King (wearing No.20) enters the field with his England teammates before the 2010 FIFA World Cup match against the United States.

Ledley King played his first game for England in March 2002. It was a 2-1 loss to Italy. He scored his first goal for England in his third game, against Portugal in February 2004.

King was chosen for the England squad for Euro 2004. He played in the first game against France. He also came on as a substitute in midfield against Croatia.

He played regularly in the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup. However, he broke a bone in his foot in April 2006. This injury stopped him from being chosen for the World Cup squad.

King played in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia in June 2007. England won 3-0. He was chosen for Fabio Capello's first England squad. But he had to pull out because of injury. Due to his ongoing knee problems, he was not chosen for England games for the rest of 2007 and all of 2008.

In March 2009, King was called back to the England team. But he was removed from the squad two days later. England's medical staff felt it was better for him to continue his special training at his club. Fabio Capello said that King was one of the best defenders in England when he was fit.

On May 11, 2010, King was named in the group of players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal with his head against Mexico in a friendly game. King made it into England's World Cup 2010 squad. He played 45 minutes in England's first match against the US. But he got a groin injury and could not play for the rest of the tournament.

Coaching Career

On July 26, 2020, Tottenham Hotspur manager José Mourinho announced that King would be an assistant coach for the club. On August 6, 2020, Tottenham officially said that King would be a first-team assistant coach. After Jose Mourinho left the club, King went back to his role as a club ambassador.

Personal Life

Ledley King is a cousin of Ipswich Town player Ben Johnson.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each King goal.

List of international goals scored by Ledley King

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 February 2004	Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal	3	Portugal	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2	24 May 2010	Wembley Stadium, London, England	20	Mexico	1–0	3–1	Friendly

Honours and Awards

Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup: 2007–08; runner-up: 2001–02, 2008–09

Individual

• Premier League Player of the Month: September 2004

See also

• List of one-club men in association football

Images for kids

• 

  King in 2008

• 

  King (wearing No.20) enters the field with his England teammates before the 2010 FIFA World Cup match against the United States.