Tottenham Hotspur captains: A timeline of the Premier League era
Tottenham Hotspur have had a number of great captains in the Premier League era, and some not-so-good ones. Here is a look at every single player who has worn the armband for the club across those 34 years of Spurs history.
A history of Tottenham Hotspur captains
Being captain of Tottenham Hotspur is a special privilege and comes with enormous pressure.
Even though the club have not been as successful over recent decades as they have been historically, they have remained one of the biggest and most prestigious institutions of English football.
While some players who have worn the armband have wilted under the pressure, others have risen with the additional responsibility and written their names into the club’s folklore.
Here is a look at every single player who has captained Spurs in the Premier League.
Gary Mabbutt – 1987-1998
Mabbutt spent 16 years at Tottenham, arriving at the club back in 1982, a full ten years before the start of the Premier League.
The tough-tackling, no-nonsense defender, Mabbutt was a natural leader from the outset and proved an extremely successful captain, winning a UEFA Cup and two FA Cup titles during his time with Tottenham.
The England international made a total of 581 appearances in Tottenham colours, scoring 36 goals, eventually hanging up his boots on the last day of the 1997–98 season.
Sol Campbell – 1998-2001
When Mabbutt called time on his career, Sol Campbell was the obvious choice to take over the captaincy.
A fellow centre-back, Campbell had come through the club’s academy and was a senior player by that point, having been a key first-team for six years by then.
The England international was a popular figure among the White Hart Lane faithful and would go on to be captain for three years, before betraying the Spurs fans by running his contract down and making a free move to Arsenal in 2001.
Campbell has still not been forgiven for what Spurs fans saw as an act of treachery, with the defender continuing to be seen as a traitor. The hate for him still continues to be very strong among the Tottenham faithful.
Teddy Sheringham – 2001-2003
The same summer that Campbell left unceremoniously, a fan favourite, Teddy Sheringham, returned to the club for a second spell after spending four years with Manchester United.
Sheringham’s second spell at White Hart Lane would not turn out to be as successful as his first, but he still continued to score important goals for the side.
He would eventually go on to finish with 97 strikes for Spurs in 236 appearances across two spells, before leaving the club for Portsmouth in the summer of 2003.
Jamie Redknapp – 2003-2005
Among all the names on the list, perhaps Jamie Redknapp is the one who would be the most easily forgotten by Spurs fans.
The midfielder arrived at Tottenham in 2002 after an impressive 11-year spell at Anfield and was given the armband a year later.
Redknapp’s time at White Hart Lane was blighted with injuries and he never managed to hit the expected heights, departing for Southampton in 2005 after making just 48 appearances across three years for Spurs.
Ledley King – 2005-2012
Redknapp’s departure saw the armband go to Ledley King, who went on to become Tottenham’s most revered captain of the Premier League era.
King was Spurs through and through, having also come from the academy, and while he was not as vocal as some of his predecessors, he was a model professional and led by example.
He was undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in world football when he was fit and firing, but unfortunately, his career was hampered by chronic knee injuries, with the England international being unable to even train in the latter part of his career.
Those injuries forced him to call time on his career at the age of just 31 back in 2021, with King retiring as a one-club man, with 323 appearances to his name.
He has been a club ambassador since hanging up his boots and has even had a brief stint as a coach, working as a part of Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff.
Michael Dawson – 2012-2014
When King called time on his Tottenham career, there was only one choice to replace him: Michael Dawson.
Dawson was certainly not new to the leadership role as he had captained the side a lot during King’s injury absence.
The Nottingham-born centre-back was not the most gifted of players, but he was universally loved by the Tottenham faithful as he wore his heart on his sleeve and always put his body on the line for the club.
The centre-back made a total of 236 appearances across his nine years at Spurs and was moved out of the door in 2014 when Mauricio Pochettino arrived as he was not a great fit for the style of football that the Argentine wanted to implement.
Younes Kaboul – 2014-2015
Pochettino handed the captain’s armband to Younes Kaboul, which was a decision that the Argentine would come to regret just months later.
Midway into Pochettino‘s first season at the club, there was a revolt by a faction in the dressing room, who were infamously named the Bomb Squad.
Kaboul was part of that group, along with the likes of Emmanual Adebayor and Aaron Lennon, which meant that those players were frozen out, with Pochettino putting his trust in young players such as Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Danny Rose.
Hugo Lloris – 2015-2023
When Kaboul was relieved of his duties midway into the season, Pochettino decided to hand the captaincy to Hugo Lloris, who had already been captain of France for a few years by this point.
Lloris would not only go on to be the longest-serving captain for Tottenham in the Premier League era, but he would also go on to clinch the record for most Premier League appearances for Spurs.
The goalkeeper would go on to make 447 appearances in a Tottenham shirt, departing the Lilywhites at the start of 2024 to seal a move to MLS side Los Angeles FC.
Heung-Min Son – 2023-Present
Heung-min Son was made Tottenham captain at the start of the 2023-24 season, with the decision being the first big one of Ange Postecoglou‘s tenure.
Even though the past 18 months have yielded mixed results, one has to say that the decision to hand the captain’s armband to the South Korean has proven to be the right call.
The 32-year-old has proved an empathetic and inspirational leader, taking the young players in the squad under his wing.
Son is now into his tenth season at Tottenham and the records continue to tumble for the forward. While it remains to be seen how long he will remain at the club, Spurs fans will be hoping that he becomes the first Tottenham captain since Ledley King to proudly hold a trophy aloft.
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