Ledley King
Encyclopedia
Ledley Brenton King is an English
footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur
. He is the longest serving player at the club and captained Spurs since 2005. He is currently contracted to Tottenham until 2012. Known for his outstanding pace, strength, heading, composure on the ball with both feet and ability in timing his tackles, he has been described as "the best central defender I have seen in my career" by Martin Jol
and was named by Thierry Henry
as the only defender in the country who was able to get the better of him without committing fouls. In March 2009 an article in The Times
named King as Tottenham's 25th best player of all time.
In recent seasons King has been plagued by chronic knee problems, for which no effective treatment or remedy has been found, which prevent him from playing more than one game a week. Instead of training with the rest of the squad King undertakes fitness exercises on his own. His manager Harry Redknapp
has called King "an absolute freak" for being able to perform at a world class level despite not training. King has also received praise from former team mate and Sky Sports
pundit Jamie Redknapp
, saying that “He is like a magnet for the ball, a thoroughbred of a defender, the best centre-half in the country.”
ending in a 3–2 defeat to Liverpool
. When breaking into the first team under former manager George Graham
he was often used as a midfielder. It was with a performance in central midfield during Tottenham's 2–1 win over Liverpool in November 2000 that he established himself as a regular in the Spurs side. His first goal for Tottenham was scored in December 2000 in a 3–3 draw away to Bradford City
which was scored in 9.7 seconds, setting a new Premier League record for the quickest goal.
, and with the departure of Sol Campbell
to rivals Arsenal
, there was a chance for King to establish himself as the club's top centre-back. He began the season with a clean sheet against Aston Villa
and a performance man-marking Duncan Ferguson as Spurs held on for a point against Everton
at Goodison Park
despite playing the final 25 minutes with 9 men. By the end of the season he'd been capped for England and was regarded as one of the best young defenders in the country as Tottenham finished 9th, their highest league finish in 6 years.
A hip injury sustained in the summer meant he did not start the campaign until November. However, King was criticised due to the large amount of goals Tottenham were conceding. The season ended with Tottenham letting in 9 goals in their final two games against Middlesbrough
and Blackburn Rovers.
When Hoddle was sacked in September 2003, caretaker manager David Pleat
moved King into midfield to offer a better defensive presence in the middle of the park. In February 2004, having not scored in over 3 years, King scored from the edge of the box in the FA Cup
against Manchester City
, and followed that up by scoring against Charlton
a week later, before scoring on his first start for England the following week. Despite playing out of position for most of the season, he had done enough to convince Sven-Göran Eriksson
to call him up to England's Euro 2004 squad.
In the summer of 2004, the Tottenham
management team and squad was changed dramatically. Jacques Santini was appointed as manager and with defensive midfielders such as Michael Carrick
, Pedro Mendes
and Sean Davis joining the club, King was able to move back into his preferred centre-back slot. Noureddine Naybet was signed to bring experience to the Tottenham defence and King formed a fine partnership with him. This new partnership, as well as the form of newly signed England goalkeeper Paul Robinson
meant that compared with 57 and 62 in the previous two seasons, Tottenham conceded just 41 goals in the Premier League, the fewest amount of league goals Tottenham had conceded in a season since the 1970–1971 season (albeit some of the seasons played in that time were 42 game seasons instead of 38). King played the full 90 minutes in all 38 of Tottenham's league games and 9 of Tottenham's 10 cup games, the only game he missed all season was a 3–0 win away to Nottingham Forest
. Spurs kept 13 clean sheets in the Premiership, King scored 3 goals that season, one in the North London derby
against Arsenal
. He was voted Premier League Player of the Month
for September 2004, the first defensive based player to win the award in almost 3 years. In January 2005, after the sale of Jamie Redknapp
to Southampton
, new manager Martin Jol
appointed King as club captain.
In the summer of 2005, King captained Tottenham to win the Peace Cup
, beating French champions Lyon
in the final. King formed a new partnership with Michael Dawson. Spurs were even stronger in defence than the previous season, conceding only 38 league goals. King was helping at the other end of the pitch too, with goals against Charlton
, Portsmouth
, and once again in the derby against Arsenal
. For much of the season, Spurs occupied fourth place and a possible Champions League place. However, in April he broke his metatarsal, meaning he missed the final four games of the season, in which Spurs took just 4 points, meaning they slipped down to 5th place on the final day of the season.
quarter-final clash with Sevilla
in mid-April. Spurs played 59 games in all competitions that season, but King featured in less than half of them. Tottenham only managed 3 clean sheets against top flight opposition without King in the side. In a Premier League clash with reigning champions Chelsea
at White Hart Lane
, Spurs went on to win the game 2–1, meaning King had captained Tottenham to their first league win over Chelsea since 1990, and the first at White Hart Lane since 1987.
King underwent surgery in the summer, meaning he would miss the start of the season. Manager Martin Jol
had been sacked and replaced by Juande Ramos. But on Boxing Day
2007, King made a surprise return to the starting lineup against Fulham
, playing 73 minutes before being replaced by Adel Taarabt
. He appeared sporadically for the rest of the season, but captained Tottenham to a 2–1 victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final
, the first major honour of his career.
On 3 April 2008 it was announced that he would be rested for the remainder of the season, Spurs having been knocked out of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and unable to qualify for the Champions League through the League. King had featured in just 10 games all season, with just 4 Premiership games under his belt.
On 12 August 2008, Ledley picked up the trophy for the cleanest team in the Premier league for the season. He received the award at the 'Get on with the Game' programme which was shown on Sky Sports News
.
It became clear at the start of the 2008/2009 season that King's injury problems meant that he could not play in every game. Ramos picked him in all 5 of the cup games he managed the club for that season, but only two of the eight league games. With Spurs rooted to the bottom of the league, having picked up just 2 points from those 8 games, Ramos was sacked and replaced by Harry Redknapp
, who chose to prioritise the league and only play King in those games. On 26 October 2008, King made his 200th league appearance for Tottenham Hotspur as they defeated Bolton Wanderers
2–0. He captained the club in the League Cup final
yet again, this time against Manchester United
, keeping a clean sheet after 120 minutes of play, but Tottenham lost on penalties.
Harry Redknapp said of King's knee injury:
King won his first game ever against Arsenal in the league on April 14, 2010, with a 2–1 win, which he played 90 minutes of. Exactly three weeks later, on May 5, 2010 King captained Tottenham to a 1–0 away victory at Manchester City, thus guaranteeing Tottenham's highest ever finish in the Premier League and securing entry into the qualification round of the UEFA Champions League
for the first time. King had been a major doubt for the match having played against Bolton just 4 days earlier, however his performance in this game and many other games in early 2010 look to have secured his place in Fabio Capello
's England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa
. On May 16, 2010 it was reported that King had signed a new two-year contract extension with Spurs which will keep him at the club to 2012.
debut came in a 1–2 loss to Italy in March 2002. He was called into the England
squad for the friendly against Portugal
on 18 February 2004, and netted his first goal on his third appearance.
King received his England
call-up for Euro 2004
deputising for the injured John Terry
in the opener against France
in Portugal. He also made a substitute appearance in midfield in the final group game against Croatia
.
After featuring regularly in the qualifiers, King looked a likely participant in the England
2006 World Cup
squad before fracturing a bone in his foot on 15 April 2006. Although not as bad as a similar injury affecting David Beckham
, Gary Neville
and Steven Gerrard
, King's injury prevented him from being named in Sven-Göran Eriksson
's squad.
King played in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia
on 6 June 2007. King played 90 minutes and England won 3–0. Although he featured in Fabio Capello
's first squad, he had to pull out through injury. Due to a chronic knee condition which preventing him holding down a regular place in the club side he was also not selected for England games for the rest of 2007 and during the whole of 2008.
On 22 March 2009, King was given a recall by head coach Fabio Capello
to the England
team to play Slovakia
and Ukraine
. However, two days later he was removed from the squad after being assessed by England's medical staff, who thought it was in his best interests to continue his personal training regime at his club, due to the chronic knee condition that he has.
Fabio Capello later said, in response to Harry Redknapp's objection to King's call-up, "Without doubt, King is one of the best central defenders in England. If he was fit, Redknapp would not need to make the journey. King could come with us." He later promoted King's cause again, saying that "We hope (he has an international future), because he's a very interesting player – one of the best centre-backs. But I don't know the future."
On May 11, 2010 King was named in the 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
alongside fellow Spurs central defender Michael Dawson. He went on to score a headed goal against Mexico
in the first preparation friendly 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 opening match against the USA, before picking up a groin injury which kept him out of the rest of the tournament.
Correct as of 10 Sep 2011
on suspicion of assault and causing actual bodily harm
outside a London nightclub. He was subsequently bail
ed until mid-July while the police investigated the incident. King later issued an apology to his club, saying:
This prompted his manager at Tottenham, Harry Redknapp, to promise a ban on alcohol for Tottenham players:
Despite his arrest, Harry Redknapp later stated that King would start Tottenham's next league game.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He is the longest serving player at the club and captained Spurs since 2005. He is currently contracted to Tottenham until 2012. Known for his outstanding pace, strength, heading, composure on the ball with both feet and ability in timing his tackles, he has been described as "the best central defender I have seen in my career" by Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
and was named by Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
as the only defender in the country who was able to get the better of him without committing fouls. In March 2009 an article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
named King as Tottenham's 25th best player of all time.
In recent seasons King has been plagued by chronic knee problems, for which no effective treatment or remedy has been found, which prevent him from playing more than one game a week. Instead of training with the rest of the squad King undertakes fitness exercises on his own. His manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
has called King "an absolute freak" for being able to perform at a world class level despite not training. King has also received praise from former team mate and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
pundit Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
, saying that “He is like a magnet for the ball, a thoroughbred of a defender, the best centre-half in the country.”
1997–2001
King joined Tottenham as a trainee in July 1997 and became a professional the following year. His debut came in May 1999 at AnfieldAnfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
ending in a 3–2 defeat to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. When breaking into the first team under former manager George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
he was often used as a midfielder. It was with a performance in central midfield during Tottenham's 2–1 win over Liverpool in November 2000 that he established himself as a regular in the Spurs side. His first goal for Tottenham was scored in December 2000 in a 3–3 draw away to Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
which was scored in 9.7 seconds, setting a new Premier League record for the quickest goal.
2001–2006
After Graham was sacked, King was moved back into defence under new manager Glenn HoddleGlenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
, and with the departure of Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell is an English footballer who is currently a free agent. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.Born in East London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's...
to rivals Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, there was a chance for King to establish himself as the club's top centre-back. He began the season with a clean sheet against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and a performance man-marking Duncan Ferguson as Spurs held on for a point against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
despite playing the final 25 minutes with 9 men. By the end of the season he'd been capped for England and was regarded as one of the best young defenders in the country as Tottenham finished 9th, their highest league finish in 6 years.
A hip injury sustained in the summer meant he did not start the campaign until November. However, King was criticised due to the large amount of goals Tottenham were conceding. The season ended with Tottenham letting in 9 goals in their final two games against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and Blackburn Rovers.
When Hoddle was sacked in September 2003, caretaker manager David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
moved King into midfield to offer a better defensive presence in the middle of the park. In February 2004, having not scored in over 3 years, King scored from the edge of the box in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, and followed that up by scoring against Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
a week later, before scoring on his first start for England the following week. Despite playing out of position for most of the season, he had done enough to convince Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
to call him up to England's Euro 2004 squad.
In the summer of 2004, the Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
management team and squad was changed dramatically. Jacques Santini was appointed as manager and with defensive midfielders such as Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and the England national team. He has made more than 300 Premier League appearances and played in 50 UEFA Champions League games as of April 2011...
, Pedro Mendes
Pedro Mendes
Pedro Miguel da Silva Mendes is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vitória Guimarães of the Portuguese first division .Starting his career with home town club Vitória de Guimarães, Mendes won a UEFA Champions League medal with FC Porto in 2004...
and Sean Davis joining the club, King was able to move back into his preferred centre-back slot. Noureddine Naybet was signed to bring experience to the Tottenham defence and King formed a fine partnership with him. This new partnership, as well as the form of newly signed England goalkeeper Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
meant that compared with 57 and 62 in the previous two seasons, Tottenham conceded just 41 goals in the Premier League, the fewest amount of league goals Tottenham had conceded in a season since the 1970–1971 season (albeit some of the seasons played in that time were 42 game seasons instead of 38). King played the full 90 minutes in all 38 of Tottenham's league games and 9 of Tottenham's 10 cup games, the only game he missed all season was a 3–0 win away to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. Spurs kept 13 clean sheets in the Premiership, King scored 3 goals that season, one in the North London derby
North London derby
The North London derby is the name of the football local derby between the two major teams in North London – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.-History:...
against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. He was voted Premier League Player of the Month
Premier League Player of the Month
The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
for September 2004, the first defensive based player to win the award in almost 3 years. In January 2005, after the sale of Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, new manager Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
appointed King as club captain.
In the summer of 2005, King captained Tottenham to win the Peace Cup
Peace Cup
thumb|right|400px|The opening ceremony of 2003 competitionThe Peace Cup is an invitational pre-season friendly football tournament for club teams, currently held every two years by the Sunmoon Peace Football Foundation. It is contested by the eight clubs from several continents, though 12 teams...
, beating French champions Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
in the final. King formed a new partnership with Michael Dawson. Spurs were even stronger in defence than the previous season, conceding only 38 league goals. King was helping at the other end of the pitch too, with goals against Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, and once again in the derby against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. For much of the season, Spurs occupied fourth place and a possible Champions League place. However, in April he broke his metatarsal, meaning he missed the final four games of the season, in which Spurs took just 4 points, meaning they slipped down to 5th place on the final day of the season.
2006–present
After injuring his knee in training before the start of the season, King did not start his season until mid-September. Then after breaking his metatarsal again, he did not feature for Spurs from Boxing Day until the UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
quarter-final clash with Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
in mid-April. Spurs played 59 games in all competitions that season, but King featured in less than half of them. Tottenham only managed 3 clean sheets against top flight opposition without King in the side. In a Premier League clash with reigning champions Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
, Spurs went on to win the game 2–1, meaning King had captained Tottenham to their first league win over Chelsea since 1990, and the first at White Hart Lane since 1987.
King underwent surgery in the summer, meaning he would miss the start of the season. Manager Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
had been sacked and replaced by Juande Ramos. But on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
2007, King made a surprise return to the starting lineup against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, playing 73 minutes before being replaced by Adel Taarabt
Adel Taarabt
Adel Taarabt is a Moroccan footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as an Attacking midfielder and can also be used as a winger....
. He appeared sporadically for the rest of the season, but captained Tottenham to a 2–1 victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final
2008 Football League Cup Final
The 2008 Carling Cup Final was a football match played on 24 February 2008. It was the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, and the first to be played in England since the old Wembley was demolished in 2000. The defending champions were Chelsea, who beat Arsenal in the...
, the first major honour of his career.
On 3 April 2008 it was announced that he would be rested for the remainder of the season, Spurs having been knocked out of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and unable to qualify for the Champions League through the League. King had featured in just 10 games all season, with just 4 Premiership games under his belt.
On 12 August 2008, Ledley picked up the trophy for the cleanest team in the Premier league for the season. He received the award at the 'Get on with the Game' programme which was shown on Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News is a 24-hour sports news channel in the United Kingdom. It is run by BSkyB whose sports channels include Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Sky Sports HD1, HD2, HD3 and HD4....
.
It became clear at the start of the 2008/2009 season that King's injury problems meant that he could not play in every game. Ramos picked him in all 5 of the cup games he managed the club for that season, but only two of the eight league games. With Spurs rooted to the bottom of the league, having picked up just 2 points from those 8 games, Ramos was sacked and replaced by Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
, who chose to prioritise the league and only play King in those games. On 26 October 2008, King made his 200th league appearance for Tottenham Hotspur as they defeated Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
2–0. He captained the club in the League Cup final
2009 Football League Cup Final
The 2009 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Football League Cup, the 49th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League...
yet again, this time against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, keeping a clean sheet after 120 minutes of play, but Tottenham lost on penalties.
Harry Redknapp said of King's knee injury:
"There's no cure. There's no cartilage, nothing to operate on. It's just bone on bone. So it's just a question of managing it. It swells up after games and it normally takes seven days to recover but having played on Monday night he's had less time than usual. He rarely trains, he mostly just goes to the gym to keep himself ticking over. But not running or anything like that. But even if he only plays 20 games a season, he's worth having because he's so good we have a much better chance of winning."
King won his first game ever against Arsenal in the league on April 14, 2010, with a 2–1 win, which he played 90 minutes of. Exactly three weeks later, on May 5, 2010 King captained Tottenham to a 1–0 away victory at Manchester City, thus guaranteeing Tottenham's highest ever finish in the Premier League and securing entry into the qualification round of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
for the first time. King had been a major doubt for the match having played against Bolton just 4 days earlier, however his performance in this game and many other games in early 2010 look to have secured his place in Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
's England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. On May 16, 2010 it was reported that King had signed a new two-year contract extension with Spurs which will keep him at the club to 2012.
International career
King's EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
debut came in a 1–2 loss to Italy in March 2002. He was called into the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
squad for the friendly against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
on 18 February 2004, and netted his first goal on his third appearance.
King received his England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
call-up for Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
deputising for the injured John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
in the opener against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in Portugal. He also made a substitute appearance in midfield in the final group game against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
.
After featuring regularly in the qualifiers, King looked a likely participant in the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
squad before fracturing a bone in his foot on 15 April 2006. Although not as bad as a similar injury affecting David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
and Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
, King's injury prevented him from being named in Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
's squad.
"Ledley King is injured and he can't train. If you talk about centre-halves we are very well covered, so taking another one half-injured when we have so many good ones it is not a good idea."
King played in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia
Estonia national football team
The Estonia national football team represents Estonia in international association football. Team members are selected by the head coach of Estonian Football Association . Estonia play their home matches at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
on 6 June 2007. King played 90 minutes and England won 3–0. Although he featured in Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
's first squad, he had to pull out through injury. Due to a chronic knee condition which preventing him holding down a regular place in the club side he was also not selected for England games for the rest of 2007 and during the whole of 2008.
On 22 March 2009, King was given a recall by head coach Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
to the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
team to play Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
and Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
. However, two days later he was removed from the squad after being assessed by England's medical staff, who thought it was in his best interests to continue his personal training regime at his club, due to the chronic knee condition that he has.
Fabio Capello later said, in response to Harry Redknapp's objection to King's call-up, "Without doubt, King is one of the best central defenders in England. If he was fit, Redknapp would not need to make the journey. King could come with us." He later promoted King's cause again, saying that "We hope (he has an international future), because he's a very interesting player – one of the best centre-backs. But I don't know the future."
On May 11, 2010 King was named in the 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
alongside fellow Spurs central defender Michael Dawson. He went on to score a headed goal against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in the first preparation friendly 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 opening match against the USA, before picking up a groin injury which kept him out of the rest of the tournament.
International goals
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first.
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 February 2004 | Estádio Algarve Estádio Algarve The Estádio Algarve is an association football stadium in Loulé, Portugal. The home teams are Sporting Clube Farense, who play in the Portuguese Third Division and Louletano Desportos Clube, who play in the Portuguese Second Division Serie D... , Loulé Loulé Loulé is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 764.2 km² and a total population of 62,295 inhabitants. The city proper has a population of 12,103.The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in the District of Faro.... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
1-1 | Friendly match | |
2 | 24 May 2010 | Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
3-1 | Friendly match |
Club playing honours
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 20082008 Football League Cup FinalThe 2008 Carling Cup Final was a football match played on 24 February 2008. It was the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, and the first to be played in England since the old Wembley was demolished in 2000. The defending champions were Chelsea, who beat Arsenal in the...
, runner-up 20022002 Football League Cup FinalThe 2002 Worthington Cup Final was played between Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on Sunday, 24 February 2002. Blackburn won the match 2–1....
, 20092009 Football League Cup FinalThe 2009 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Football League Cup, the 49th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League...
Individual
- Premier League Player Of The Month September 2004
Club statistics
Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup League Cup In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish... |
Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... (Premier League) |
1998–99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
1999–00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
2000–01 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
2001–02 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
2002–03 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
2003–04 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
2004–05 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 3 | |
2005–06 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
2006–07 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
2007–08 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
2008–09 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
2009–10 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 21 | 2 | |
2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
Career Totals | 300 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 294 | 14 |
2009 arrest
On 10 May 2009 at 2:30 am, King was arrested on Soho StreetSoho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
on suspicion of assault and causing actual bodily harm
Actual bodily harm
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and the Solomon Islands...
outside a London nightclub. He was subsequently bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
ed until mid-July while the police investigated the incident. King later issued an apology to his club, saying:
"I sincerely regret that a night out with friends went too far. I have apologised to Harry and I fully appreciate that, as a professional footballer, I have a duty to behave in a responsible manner," King said in a statement on the club's website. "I am assisting the police with their enquiries. Anyone who knows me, knows that much of what has been suggested is totally out of character. I am keen to resolve this as soon as possible and concentrate on my football."
This prompted his manager at Tottenham, Harry Redknapp, to promise a ban on alcohol for Tottenham players:
"I'll implement a strong rule next season that drinking is a no-no here. Footballers should not drink. You shouldn't put diesel in a Ferrari. I know it's hard but they are earning big money, they are role models to kids. We wouldn't get these problems if the players weren't drinking. There's still too much of a drinking culture in English football but it's not as bad as it used to be. At Tottenham we do a lot with kids, a lot of them underprivileged. We have to set an example. Too much drinking goes on in this country. Too many people are not happy unless they have had a drink."
Despite his arrest, Harry Redknapp later stated that King would start Tottenham's next league game.
Accolades
External links
- TheFA.com profile
- King's international data at England Football Online
- Premier League profile