Tottenham & England legend Jimmy Greaves passes away aged 81
By Max Cooper
England and Tottenham Hotspur legend Jimmy Greaves has died at the age of 81.
Spurs announced the death of the great Greaves on Sunday. The Englishman passed away at his home in the early hours of the morning.
Greaves' passing marks a dark day in the world of football, as the sport waves goodbye to one of the finest strikers its ever produced.
The forward, who was part of the Three Lions' famous World Cup-winning squad of 1966, is fondly remembered as one of the best strikers that the country has ever produced, scoring 44 goals in 57 international appearances.
Greaves began his club career at Chelsea, and set a club record for the most goals in a season when he found the net 41 times in the 1960/61 campaign. He then moved to Milan, where he never really settled, and returned to England to join Spurs.
He is best remembered at club level for his spell with Tottenham, hitting 266 goals in 379 appearances between 1961 and 1970, and setting the club record for the most goals scored in a single season with 37 strikes.
He is a club legend, winning two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners Cup during his time at White Hart Lane. In 1965, he became the first player to ever top the goalscoring charts for three consecutive seasons, proving he was best forward in the country at that time.
Greaves was equally as clinical at international level, sitting fourth on the list of the nation's all-time highest scorers. He was also a key figure in England's World Cup winning side, and ended his international career with 44 goals.
Greaves had been struggling with health issues since falling ill in 2015, when he suffered a severe stroke. He was then hospitalised in 2020, but recovered once again to return home.