If it wasn’t for injuries, it’s quite possible that Ledley King would now be widely regarded as the greatest central defender in Premier League history.The Tottenham legend suffered setback after setback during his 13-year professional career and only managed to make 323 club appearances, plus a further 21 with England, as a result.King, who would sometimes play without even training during the latter years of his career, announced his retirement at the age of 31 before taking up an ambassadorial role with his beloved Spurs.All of King’s former teammates and opponents appreciated what an outstanding defender he was."King would get the ball off you without you even noticing,” Arsenal legend Thierry Henry once said. “He’s the only defender in England who doesn't hold onto you, and he sometimes still gets the ball off my feet easily."Martin Jol called King the “best central defender” he has ever seen, while Harry Redknapp said: “He is an absolute freak”.
In terms of pure natural ability, King comfortably sits alongside the greatest centre-backs of the Premier League era: Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Sol Campbell, Virgil van Dijk… the lot.He also produced a serious contender for the best tackle in Premier League history during a 2-1 victory for Tottenham over Chelsea at White Hart Lane in November 2006.Spurs registered their first league win over Chelsea since 1990 thanks to goals from Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon, but it was a moment of individual brilliance from King at 0-0 which fans remember most.
After the lightning-quick Arjen Robben beat the offside trap, it looked set to be a certain goal.The Dutch winger was one-on-one with Paul Robinson and almost everyone inside White Hart Lane expected the ball to end up in the back of the net moments later.King, however, had other ideas.
The Spurs captain sprinted back as fast as he could, making up 10-15 yards in the process, before producing a perfectly-timed tackle on Robben just as the Chelsea star was about to pull the trigger.“What a tackle!” the commentator said. “They talk about great goals, that is a great challenge.”Watch the clip here…
An absolutely outstanding tackle from a top-class operator.
We’ve seen some unbelievable tackles in the Premier League both before and since, but it could be argued that none were quite as impressive as King’s.