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Tottenham’s record scorer Jimmy Greaves has died at the age of 81, the club said. Sean Dempsey / PA Wire.
Former England, Tottenham and Chelsea striker Jimmy Greaves has died aged 81, Spurs said.
Greaves suffered a stroke in May 2015 that resulted in him being confined to a wheelchair and his speech severely impaired. He had also suffered from alcoholism and quit drinking in 1978.
Upon the announcement of the news, Tottenham said Greaves – the club’s all-time high scorer – died at home on Sunday morning.
The Premier League club said in a statement: “We are very sad to hear of the death of the great Jimmy Greaves, not only Tottenham’s top scorer, but also the best scorer this country has ever seen. Jimmy died at home in the early hours of the morning at the age of 81.
“During his wonderful career, Jimmy’s hit rate has been phenomenal. His Spurs return was 266 goals in 379 games between 1961 and 1970 – 220 goals in 321 league games, 32 goals in 36 FA Cup games, five in just eight League Cup games and nine in 14 European Cup games.
Become Spurs remember Greaves in their game against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, with their players wearing black armbands while former teammates such as Martin Chivers and Steve Perryman are expected.
Greaves scored 44 goals in 57 A games for England, the fourth highest in the story of the Three Lions.
Due to a shin injury, Geoff Hurst replaced him in the quarterfinals, and although he was fit for the final, Alf Ramsey’s decision not to change the winning team was made possible by Hurst’s hat trick on that one Day confirmed.
Greaves’ career began in the junior ranks at Chelsea and he turned pro in May 1957, scoring a goal on his blues debut and scoring a total of 132 goals for the club.
His Return of 41 goals from 40 games for Chelsea in the 1960/61 season remains a club record.
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At the end of that season, Greaves left Stamford Bridge to sign with AC Milan but only spent a few months in Italy before joining Spurs in December 1961 to play on Bill Nicholson’s successful team.
The Tottenham statement goes on to say: « Although we had just won the ‘Double’, there is no question that Jimmy’s arrival at N17 made us an even better team.
» He was a natural scorer, always in the right place at the right time to add the finishing touches to yet another well-crafted play while also scoring his own goals, as he has done on numerous occasions by sliding past defenders and the ball into the back of the Net.
« He had impeccable ball control, great balance and such composure in front of goal that he rarely missed an opportunity. »
After nine years at White Hart Lane, Gr eaves to West Ham in 1970, the club closest to its roots in East London. Although it would not be a happy stay at Upton Park, the 13 league goals he scored for the Hammers brought him to 366 goals in the top 5 leagues in Europe.
This was the all-time record until he won from Cristiano Ronaldo was dwarfed by Real Madrid during the great 2016-17 season.
Greaves took a break after leaving West Ham but later played in the minor leagues, moving to Brentwood, Chelmsford, Barnet and Woodford Town.
After the end of his playing career, Greaves played alongside former Liverpool striker Ian St John on the popular ITV show « Saint and Greavsie » between 1985 and 1992, which made him a popular expert / p> After a long campaign for recognition of his English achievements in 1966, Greaves finally received a world champion medal in 2009; five years later he sold it at auction at Sotheby’s for £ 44,000.
In later life, Greaves suffered health problems, including a minor stroke in 1992 from which he was recovering. However, a major stroke in May 2015 left him unconscious in intensive care for six days and remained in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
West Ham applauded while a minute before Sunday’s Premier League game against Manchester United the players wore black armbands in honor of Greaves.
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