Jimmy Greaves was a truly phenomenal goal scorer - the most prolific striker ever to wear a Tottenham shirt and the all time leading marksman in top-flight football in England. He was the youngest player to reach the 100-goal mark at just 20 years and 290 days and his record of finishing as top goalscorer in six separate seasons has never been matched. For England Greaves scored an unbelievable 44 times in just 57 matches.
Greaves sharpened his shooting skills as a youngster at Chelsea, making his debut in 1957. His 41 goals in the 1960-61 season remains a club record. After a brief stint with AC Milan, where he scored nine times in 12 matches, Spurs' legendary boss Bill Nicholson took him to White Hart Lane for £99,999. He spent the next nine years at the club and wrote himself into the book of all-time greats. His 266 goals in 379 matches has never been surpassed and Greaves inspired Spurs to two FA Cup wins and a UEFA Cup Winners Cup victory.
The incomparable marksman scored twice in that famous 5-1 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the 1963 Cup Winners Cup to ensure Spurs became the first British club to land a European trophy. Greaves finally left Spurs for West Ham in 1970, and scored on his debut, as he has for every team he's played for. When he quit professional football the following year he had netted 357 times in 516 games.
Greaves is the third highest goal scorer for England behind Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker, but scored at a much faster rate than both. He also holds the record for most England hat-tricks, scoring six. He appeared in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups, missing out on the '66 final through injury. In November 2007 FIFA announced he would be awarded a World Cup winner's medal. No striker has ever possessed such predatory instincts as Greaves. His deadly touch and unerring ability to be in the right place at the right time marked him out as England's finest ever striker.