Ledley King

Ledley King

Ledley Brenton King (born 12 October 1980) is an English former footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur. He retired in July 2012. Highly rated as a central defender, in 2009 he was named by The Times as Tottenham's 25th best player of all time. King made 21 international appearances for England.

In the latter part of his career, King was plagued by chronic knee problems, for which no effective treatment or remedy was found. Instead of training with the rest of the squad King undertook fitness exercises on his own, allowing him to play one first team game per week. His former manager Harry Redknapp called King "an absolute freak" for being able to perform at Premiership level despite not training. Whilst playing, King was cited by opponents and pundits as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

King announced his retirement from all forms of football on 19 July 2012 as a result of the chronic knee injuries that plagued much of his career. He continues to represent Tottenham Hotspur on an ambassadorial level.