LONDON - Former England striker Jimmy Greaves has died aged 81, his former club Tottenham Hotspur announced on Sunday.
"We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of the great Jimmy Greaves, not just Tottenham Hotspur’s record goalscorer but the finest marksman this country has ever seen," the club said.
"Jimmy passed away at home in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 19 September), aged 81."
A member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, Greaves scored 44 goals in his 57 appearances for England.
Throughout his wonderful playing career, Jimmy’s strike rate was phenomenal.
His Spurs return was 266 goals in 379 appearances between 1961 and 1970 – 220 goals in 321 league games, 32 goals in 36 FA Cup ties, five in just eight League Cup ties and nine in 14 European matches.
The 37 league goals that he netted in the 1962/63 season remains to this day the record by any player in a single season.
Born in East Ham on 20 February, 1940, Jimmy’s career started in the junior ranks at Chelsea where he turned professional in May, 1957.
He scored on his Blues debut – something which would become a familiar trait throughout his playing days – ironically against Spurs at White Hart Lane on 24 August, 1957, in a 1-1 draw.
He remained at Stamford Bridge until June, 1961, when he moved to AC Milan, and his 41-goal haul in the First Division in 1960/61 still stands as Chelsea’s record for a single season.
Ironically, Chelsea and Tottenham will clash in a Premier League match today. - Agencies, September 19, 2021
