English international Jimmy Greaves, former Chelsea player and top scorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur, died this Sunday at the age of 81, the two great clubs of his life have confirmed. according to Tottenham Hotspur. Greaves, who suffered a stroke six years ago and was admitted for unknown causes in 2020.
Former Chelsea and Tottenham player suffered a stroke six years ago. So far the causes of his death are unknown. but it’s known the Spurs icon suffered from dementia for many years.
“We are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of the great Jimmy Greaves, not only Tottenham Hotspur’s top scorer, but the best shooter this country has ever seen. Jimmy passed away at home in the early hours of this morning at age 81”, announced the ‘Spurs’.
“Chelsea mourns the loss of a truly remarkable player, one of our own. Those who witnessed Greaves effortlessly smashing through defenses with the ball at his feet before putting him in the back of the net universally hailed him as the best scorer in the game. Chelsea, the best spiker that English football has ever seen, “said Chelsea.
Greaves arrived at Chelsea as a youth in 1956, before making his first-team debut in 1957, curiously in a match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on 24 August. In his four seasons as ‘blue’, he played 169 games and scored 132 goals – twice the league’s top scorer – before signing for AC Milan in April 1961.
However, he did not catch on in the rossonero box and returned to England at the end of that same year to play for Tottenham, with which he scored 266 goals in 379 appearances between 1961 and 1970: 220 in 321 league games, 32 in 36 FA Cup qualifiers, five in eight League Cup qualifiers and nine in 14 European matches.
To this day, Greaves, who won two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup with the team, continues to be the top scorer in the history of the ‘Spurs’ and also the top scorer in the English league in a season, thanks his 37 goals of the 1962-63 course.
“He was a born scorer, always in the right place at the right time (…) but he could also create his own goals, as he often did, eliminating defenses”, with “his impeccable ball control, his great balance, and his lucidity before the goal, which made him rarely miss an occasion “, detailed the ‘Spurs’.
Beginning
In addition, he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and scored 44 goals in his 57 international appearances. He ended his career at West Ham in 1971.
A starter at the beginning of the 1966 World Cup in England, Greaves lost his starting place as a result of a tibia injury that required 14 stitches. His replacement, Bobby Hurst, became the hero of the final against West Germany with a hat-trick (4-2 after overtime).
Only the 11 starting players received a medal, although he ended up receiving his own in 2009, before auctioning it off in 2014.
After his retirement from sports, Greaves became a popular figure in football broadcasts on television, especially between 1985 and 1993 at the helm of the broadcast ‘Saint and Greavesie’ with former Liverpool player Ian Saint-John on the ITV channel.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
