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Jimmy Greaves: The remarkable goalscoring records of a Tottenham and England great

Jimmy Greaves is Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer  (Getty Images)
Jimmy Greaves is Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer (Getty Images)

The death of Jimmy Greaves sees the passing one of English football’s greatest ever goalscorers.

Greaves is still Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time record goalscorer and his 357 goals in the top division of English football remains an unmatched tally.

For England, Greaves scored 44 times in just 57 appearances despite missing out on his nation’s defining 1966 World Cup Final triumph against West Germany.

Greaves was a precocious footballing talent having made his Chelsea debut at the age of 17, against Tottenham, the striker remains the youngest player to reach 100 league goals, doing so at the age of 20.

After a very brief stint at AC Milan, the Londoner was brought to Tottenham in 1961 for a curious fee of £99,999, a figure agreed to avoid the added pressure of being England’s first ever £100,000 player.

Stepping in to perhaps the finest ever Spurs side, and one fresh from winning the league and cup double under Bill Nicholson, Greaves continued to prove himself a prolific scorer, netting 30 times in just 31 appearances during his debut season.

Almost universally respected and beloved, he was a great poacher possessing tremendous composure and intelligence in front of goal, and a nimble, devastating, and at times effortlessly irresistible dribbler.

Greaves won his final England cap in 1967 and left Tottenham for West Ham in 1970 in a part-exchange deal that saw former international teammate Martin Peters arrive at White Hart Lane.

His six hat-tricks for England remains a record, as does his 41 goals for Chelsea in 40 league games during the 1960/61 season.

His all-time European top flight goalscoring record stood until 2017, when Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed his 366 goals for Chelsea, Milan, Tottenham and West Ham.

Greaves is still fourth on the all-time England scoring list, behind only Wayne Rooney (53), Bobby Charlton (49) and Gary Lineker (48).

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