LEGENDARY pundit and footballer Jimmy Greaves has passed away aged 81, it has been confirmed.
Greavesy, who was Tottenham Hotspur’s record goalscorer, died at home on Sunday morning, the club confirmed.
In a statement, Spurs said: “We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of the great Jimmy Greaves, not just Tottenham’s record goalscorer but the finest marksman this country has ever seen. Jimmy passed away at home in the early hours of this morning, aged 81.
“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.”
It comes after Greaves suffered a stroke in May 2015 which had left him wheelchair-bound and with severely impaired speech.
Read our Jimmy Greaves live blog below for the latest updates…
PAYING TRIBUTE
Tottenham legends Ossie Ardiles, Gary Mabbutt, Ledley King, Paul Allen, Martin Chivers, Micky Hazard, Glenn Hoddle, Steve Perryman and Graham Roberts were pitchside before Spurs’ Premier League clash with Chelsea to pay tribute to the late Jimmy Greaves.
GOALSCORING MACHINE
English footy legend Jimmy Greaves was one of the nation’s most prolific players, scoring a whopping 466 goals in 661 appearances.
PAYING THEIR RESPECTS
Tottenham will honour the late Jimmy Greaves with a minute’s silence before this afternoon’s match with Chelsea.
SOUTHGATE PAYS TRIBUTE
England manager Gareth Southgate has also paid his respects to the late Jimmy Greaves.
He said: “Jimmy Greaves was someone who was admired by all who love football, regardless of club allegiances.
“I was privileged to be able to meet Jimmy’s family last year at Tottenham Hotspur as the club marked his 80th birthday.
“My thoughts are with them and I know the entire game will mourn his passing.”
GIANT OF THE SPORT
Gary Lineker described fellow England great Jimmy Greaves as “possibly the greatest striker” this country has ever seen.
Lineker added that Greaves was a true “giant” in the world of football.
The Match of the Day host also paid tribute to the man behind the footballer by describing the striker as “charismatic, knowledgeable, witty and warm” person.
More below:
GREAVES’ WORLD CUP
Jimmy Greaves enjoyed tremendous success throughout his career, but perhaps none of it compares with him being part of England’s 1966 World Cup -winning team.
However, Greaves was sidelined from the competition after picking up an injury in the group stages and was replaced by Geoff Hurst, who turned out to be one of the Three Lions’ biggest hero.
The legendary striker said years later: “I danced around the pitch with everyone else but even in this moment of triumph and great happiness, deep down I felt my sadness.
“Throughout my years as a professional footballer I had dreamed of playing in a World Cup final.
“I had missed out on the match of a lifetime and it hurt”
GREAVES STATS
Jimmy Greaves is one of the greatest players in the history of the game and the stats prove it.
From his Chelsea debut in 1957 until his final game for West Ham in 1971, Greaves scored a whopping 422 goals in 602 appearances across all club competitions.
The legendary striker scored 132 goals in 169 games for Chelsea, which means he boasted a phenomenal rate of 0.78 goals per game.
Greavsie then netted 266 times during a scintillating nine-year stint at Tottenham and became the club’s all-time leading scorer.
The former England international also registered 44 goals in just 57 caps for his national team
THE BEST
Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher called Jimmy Greaves the best goalscorer “we have seen”.
Carragher also paid tribute to the legendary Saint & Greavsie show, which he described as the best ever football show.
Greaves used to co-host a popular football show with fellow footballer Ian St John
TRUE LEGEND
Glenn Hoddle described fellow Tottenham legend Jimmy Greaves as “a true legend of the game”.
Hoddle tweeted: Such sad news this morning on Jimmy’s passing .
“A true legend of the game , love and thoughts to all of Jimmy’s family”
ARDILES STATEMENT
Tottenham legend Ossie Ardiles said fellow club legend Jimmy Greaves “epitomises” what Spurs are all about.
Ardiles tweeted: “RIP Jimmy. Great player, great man. Very funny. Humble. Jimmy epitomises what Spurs is: “To dare is to do”…
“”When you come to meet the great goalscorer in heaven it matters not if you win or lose but how you played the game”.
“My prayers and thoughts with his family and friends”
ARSENAL RESPECTS
Arsenal are “deeply saddened” after hearing the news of Tottenham great Jimmy Greaves’ passing.
The Gunners stated that their thoughts are with Greaves’ family and friends.
Here’s what the north Londoners tweeted:
MORE FROM FA
The FA also paid tribute to Jimmy Greaves’ success in the FA Cup, a trophy he won twice.
The statement read: “Greaves scored in their [Tottenham] 1962 FA Cup Final victory over Burnley at Wembley and while he didn’t score in Spurs’ 1967 Final victory over Chelsea, he was the competition’s top scorer in that season with six goals from his eight appearances.
“In total, he netted a remarkable 42 goals in 57 appearances in the FA Cup during his career.
“Following his retirement, Greaves became known to a new generation of football fans in his position as a TV presenter on the ‘Saint and Greavsie’ weekly magazine show.
“Manor Park-born Greaves was awarded an MBE for his services to football in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list, alongside his former England teammate Ron Flowers”
CHELSEA TRIBUTE
Chelsea paid a touching tribute to club great Jimmy Greaves.
Greaves enjoyed major success at the Blues where he spent four years after earning promotion from the youth side.
In total, the legendary centre-forward notched 124 league goals in 157 top-flight appearances for the west Londoners.
The England international left Chelsea in 1961 for AC Milan
FA STATEMENT
The FA paid tribute to Jimmy Greaves’ long list of accomplishments.
“We’d like to express our sorrow at the sad news of former England international and FA Cup winner Jimmy Greaves’ death.
“The former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United striker was one of the most successful players of his generation and his passing at the age of 81 was announced today.
“A member of England’s World Cup winning squad in 1966, he won a total of 57 caps and scored 44 goals for the Three Lions between his debut in 1959 and his final appearance in 1967.
“That ratio makes him the fourth-highest goalscorer in England records and the only player to have scored six hat-tricks for the Three Lions.
“He’s also Spurs’ highest scorer with 266 goals and the highest-scoring player in the top flight of English football, with 357 goals to his name”
BECKHAM REACTS
Manchester United great David Beckham paid tribute to fellow legend Jimmy Greaves.
Beckham described Greaves as one of the players he loved watching in action when he was young.
The former England international also stated he was one of his grandfather’s favourites.
Beckham shared the following story on his Instagram:
WEMBLEY PLANS
England manager Gareth Southgate announced that England will pay tribute to the legendary Jimmy Greaves before their match with Hungary at Wembley Stadium next month.
Southgate said: “Jimmy Greaves was someone who was admired by all who love football, regardless of club allegiances.
“I was privileged to be able to meet Jimmy’s family last year at Tottenham Hotspur as the club marked his 80th birthday. My thoughts are with them and I know the entire game will mourn his passing.
“Jimmy certainly deserves inclusion in any list of England’s best players, given his status as one of our greatest goalscorers and his part in our 1966 World Cup success.
“We will pay tribute to his memory at our home match with Hungary at Wembley Stadium next month. His place in our history will never be forgotten”
MAN UTD TRIBUTE
Manchester United paid tribute to football legend Jimmy Greaves.
United shared Tottenham’s touching statement about their club hero’s passing at age 81.
The Red Devils shared their condolences and described the former England international as an “all-time great of English football”.
More below:
UEFA STATEMENT
UEFA shared a touching message following news of Jimmy Greaves’ death.
The football governing body paid special respects by looking back at how Greaves helped Tottenham become the first English club to win a UEFA trophy in 1963.
More below:
TRUE LEGEND
Tottenham superstar Harry Kane expressed his respect and admiration for fellow great Jimmy Greaves.
Kane shared a picture of a meeting they had not too long ago and described him as a “true legend”.
The England captain also said his thoughts are with his family and friends
SHEARER TRIBUTE
Newcastle great Alan Shearer paid tribute to fellow goalscoring legend Jimmy Greaves.
Greaves is remembered as one of the greatest strikers in the history of English football
FERDINAND REACTS
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand shared his condelences to Jimmy Greaves’ family.
Ferdinand tweeted: “Big loss to the footballing world.. sending my condolences to the Greaves family.
“First autobiography I ever read! Inspiration”
WRIGHT TRIBUTE
Arsenal legend Ian Wright took to social media after learning of Jimmy Greaves’ passing.
Wright described how he was urged to copy Greaves when he was a youngster and started his career.
The former striker tweeted: “The first footballers name I ever heard from my teacher. ‘No Ian! Finish like Jimmy Greaves’.
“May he rest in peace”
WEST HAM STATEMENT
West Ham have paid tribute to club legend Jimmy Greaves.
Greaves spent a year at the Hammers following a move from Tottenham in 1970.
The west-Londoners issued the following statement:
ENGLAND ISSUE STATEMENT
England have released the following statement following news of legendary footballer Jimmy Greaves’ death:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jimmy Greaves at the age of 81.
“Jimmy was part of our World Cup-winning squad and scored a remarkable 44 goals in 57 games for the Three Lions.
“All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and former clubs”
NEVILLE TRIBUTE
Manchester United legend Gary Neville paid tribute to Jimmy Greaves.
Neville shared a picture of Greaves and Ian St John to honour both of their memory.
The defender issued the following tweet after news broke of his death:
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
