Ledley King is a professional footballer, who was born on October 12, 1980 in Bow, London. Though he primarily plays as a defender in the centre-back position, he can also play as a midfielder. Ledley King has been nicknamed “King Ledley”, “Deadley Ledley”, “Ledders” and “Super Leds” in the football circuit.
Ledley King made his first international appearance for the England national team in March 2002 against Italy. He was a part of the squad in a friendly versus Portugal and scored his maiden goal for England in his third match. Ledley King was chosen to represent the team in the Euro 2004 and made his mark in the opening match against France in the final group game against Croatia. He made it to the starting eleven of the Euro 2008 qualifier match versus Estonia in June 2007, in which England emerged victorious. Ledley King, who is considered as one of the best defenders in England, has earned 19 caps for the national team as of August 2008.
Ledley King kicked off his football career at Tottenham Hotspur as a trainee in July 1997 and progressed to the senior side the following year. He made his debut for the club against Liverpool in May 1999 and scored his maiden goal for the Spurs towards the end of 2000 against Bradford City. He created a new Premier League record for the quickest goal by scoring in ten seconds. He was instrumental in the club’s ninth-place finish in the 2001-02 season, their best result in six years. Ledley King netted a stunning goal for the club in Football Association (FA) Cup match against Manchester City in February 2004. In the 2004-05 season, he made it to the starting eleven of the team in 38 Premier League and 9 Cup matches. Ledley King also won the man of the match award for his brilliant performances in the Premiership match against Chelsea. He contributed three goals that season, one each against Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.
In January 2005 Ledley King was made captain of the Spurs by the then manager, Martin Jol, after the departure of Jamie Redknapp. In the 2005-06 season, he led the team to victory in the Peace Cup finals versus Lyon. He formed a formidable partnership with his teammate Michael Dawson and played a crucial role in the team’s defense. The following season, Ledley King played a pivotal role and led the team to victory in the Premier League match versus Chelsea at White Hart Lane in what was the club’s first league win over Chelsea since 1990. His brilliant captaincy was also instrumental in the club’s win over Chelsea at the Carling Cup finals during the 2007-08 season. The Tottenham team led by Ledley King was also honoured with a trophy for the cleanest team in the Premier league that season.
The longest serving player for the Spurs till date, Ledley King has signed to play with the club 2010. In all, he has made 199 appearances for the club, netting 7 goals.
