I played against Liverpool after seven months without training at Tottenham… I lasted 90 minutes and we won 2-0
Ledley King recalled when he incredibly returned from a seven-month absence by beating Liverpool with Tottenham.
The former centre-back spent his entire 13-year career in Spurs and is one of the club's best defenders of all time.
Injuries ruined his entire career and King He missed much of the 2010/11 campaign due to a groin problem and spent more than half a year on the touchline.
However, he returned in the penultimate match of the Premier League season, which turned out to be a 2–0 home win. Liverpool.
Speaking to talkSPORT Drive about whether he understood his importance to the Spurs team, he said: “Without a doubt, whenever I played, we were a better team and I felt for the coaches.
“I was under pressure to play whenever I could, a lot of times I played 50/60 per cent. I played one game, was out for seven months and trained once or twice and ended up playing a game at Anfield.
“We won 2-0. I was out for seven months and had one or two training sessions. I didn't even go to play, I went to watch and ended up playing the game.”
He added: “Harry (Redknapp) asked me an hour and 45 (minutes) before kick-off if I could play. I looked at him like I was angry, in the end I ended up playing and got through the game somehow.”
King played the entire game at Liverpool's iconic home, with goalscoring heroes Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric Spurs.
It was a victory that proved crucial for Spurs as they leapfrogged the Reds into fifth place heading into the final day, which saw them secure qualification for the Europa League.
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The following season proved to be the last at Spurs for King, who suffered from chronic problems with his left knee, making it arguably as iconic as David Beckham's right boot.
After making 322 appearances in all competitions for the north London side, he announced his retirement from football in July 2012.
King is considered a club legend, so much so that he had his own testimonial match at White Hart Lane two years after his departure.
The 43-year-old joined José Mourinho's coaching staff in 2020 as an assistant and when the Portuguese manager left the club, King returned to his role as club ambassador.
