Ledley King: Fans still mention that tackle on Robben – but my Spurs career became one of guilt

When Ledley King gets stopped in the streets, it often gets brought up. Strikers get reminded of goals but the former Tottenham captain gets asked about his tackle on Arjen Robben. It still lives in the archives as the tackle, perhaps one of the best tackles in the Premier League, and a moment that captured the sheer class of King.

To put it in context, Tottenham had not taken three points off Chelsea for 16 years when they headed into that 2006 fixture, with the inevitable expected to happen when Robben, 22 at the time, ran through on goal with King some 15 yards behind him. As King glided across the White Hart Lane grass, he gained ground with logic-defying speed.

But there was still the composure, to read the movement of his opponent and time his tackle. It was no wonder Spurs players celebrated like King had scored a goal, then went on to seal their long-awaited win against their bitter rivals.

“A lot of times you see defenders give up or jog back and almost think the ball is going to end up in the net,” says King. “But if there is a chance, you’ve got to put yourself in a position to do something.

“As a defender I was always told to run back as hard as possible. My thinking was that maybe Robben could take a bad touch. Maybe Paul Robinson might pull off a save from the first shot and then I’m in with a chance to react. Luckily for me it took just too long to get his shot off and I was there.

“I’ve seen it lots of times since I retired. I saw it earlier today! Even when I bump into people on the streets they remind me of that tackle.”

Those seven seconds of action summed up just how good King was when he was playing. Or, more accurately, when his knee allowed him to play during his 13 years, all at Spurs. The younger generation of supporters will have heard the stories passed down on how King would read the game and often dictate it from centre-back. But neatly packaged clips do not do him justice, particularly as his knee meant he did not train between matches.

More than a decade on from his retirement and there are still small reminders of his career. “There is a restriction to my knee. Long journeys, if my leg is bent for too long then I’m definitely reminded of it. When it comes to playing football and twisting and turning, the stress you put it under, then it is a whole different problem,” he said.

His knee problems accelerated around the time of Spurs winning the League Cup in 2008. King admits it was a lonely place, heading to the swimming pool when his team-mates headed out to train. The emotions of that time are complex. On the one hand lifting silverware and helping qualify for the Champions League for the first time. On the other, what he describes as the guilt of not being able to work.

‘I want to go through the struggle with my team’

“Back in the day you probably don’t want to show any weakness. It was not something players spoke about if they were down, or anything like that,” he said. “I had good family and good people around and we had Nathan Gardiner [Tottenham’s former fitness coach]. He was someone who could see when I wasn’t feeling it and we’d stop. Little things went a long way. He helped me get through that period. He called me today actually.

“You are on your own and the other side of that is that you feel guilty because you are not able to share the work with them.

“Effectively being out for five years, not being able to go out with your team-mates and sharing the laughs and the hard work… I am someone that doesn’t just want to be there for the good times, I want to go through the struggle as well with my team. Those winter days when team-mates might laugh ‘you’re not coming out to train in the snow?’ was actually the opposite for me. I wanted to be there through those times.”

‘I lacked confidence to play for England’

King, now 43, says his goal at the time was just to make Spurs better whenever he was on the pitch. With no cartilage in his left knee and the joint swelling up, he could only rest between matches. When he retired in 2012, he admits there was an element of relief at not putting his body through any more.

“During the five years of not training there were numerous times when England would call me up but I never felt confident in my body to add another game because of the fact that I was always breaking down,” he said.

When he was picked for England at the 2010 World Cup, the cycling shorts that he wore on matchdays were not waiting for him in the dressing room ahead of facing USA, and injury struck again. “For whatever reason the right ones weren’t there on the day,” he said. “Maybe it was a psychological thing and whether it would have made a difference or not I don’t know. But I always had them for games or for when I could train before games.”

These days King is an ambassador for Spurs and has a keen eye on the current centre-backs in the Premier League. He admired Virgil van Dijk when he led Liverpool to the title. Cristian Romero is now impressing him. “He’s adapted his game this season and has a stable partner in [Micky] Van de Ven who has been exceptional. They are up there as a partnership.”

Unlike 2006, Spurs are expected to win when they face Chelsea on Monday, but will need that partnership – or special moments like King’s tackle – to keep their current run going.

Ledley King was speaking at Suffolks Primary School, Enfield, where he presented prizes to students who have taken part in the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s Black History Month artwork competition.