Highlights
Tottenham have had countless world-class strikers take to the famous hallowed turf at White Hart Lane.
Jimmy Greaves scored 268 goals and held the record for over 50 years.
Spurs' greatest strikers include Bobby Smith, Martin Chivers, and Heung-min Son, all with impressive goal-scoring records.
Every club has their list of all-time top goalscorers. Those who ply their trade for the club in the final third always dream of getting onto it, knowing it cements their status in history. From the greatest attackers of all time to those who do the hard work quietly, everyone still has the same aspirations.
Tottenham Hotspur players are no different. The club's motto, audere est facere, which translates to 'to dare is to do' in English, outlines that players should play with belief, freedom and an intention to continually attack. Over the years, some of the greatest players of all time have played for Spurs as well, impressing fans who travel every week.
Some of these have been world-class goalscorers as well, so we have decided to rank the greatest strikers in the club's history. The record was beaten in February 2023, whilst only one current player features on the list. Spurs' attackers in the 1960s proved to be the most fruitful, helping them win the double in 1961.
To begin, Len Duquemin is an unknown name on this list compared to other players, but over an 11-year career in N17, he remarkably scored 134 goals — averaging nearly a goal every two matches. He foreshadowed his blossoming career in north London when he scored on his debut during a 5-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday, whilst he helped them win the First Division in 1951 — just a year after winning the Second Division. With the nickname of 'Reliable Len', he was known for his hard work rather than being a stylish player. Yet, despite that, he still places ninth on the all-time list.
As the oldest person on this list, George Hunt plied his trade for Spurs from 1930 to 1937. He joined from Chesterfield for a fee of £1,500, and quickly became the club's most prolific goalscorer. His 32 goals in the 1932/33 season helped Spurs secure promotion to the First Division.
In an aggressive footballing era, Hunt went against the grain, using his blistering pace to strike home. The striker's dynamic running and energetic attitude made him a firm favourite with the Spurs crowd. Whilst, despite lacking height, he utilised this once again to knock the ball past countless opponents.
Jermain Defoe, scorer of one of the quickest hat-tricks in Premier League history, is still one of the most underrated strikers in Premier League history. For Spurs, he scored 143 goals and helped the club win the Carling Cup in 2008. At his very best, he was ruthless — and, at his worst, he could still score a goal out of nothing.
His build allowed him to quickly run past defenders before his non-stop work ethic always saw him find a way into the penalty box. He passed the baton to Harry Kane in 2014, as he left behind 10 years of countless memories at White Hart Lane.
Cliff Jones, unlike most on this list, was not a conventional striker. Often playing out wide instead, he loved to cut in and take defenders on, helping Spurs win the double in 1961. He was the standout man in taking the stylish football philosophy of the team and making it sparkle.
As either a right winger or left winger, Jones was fearless, always daring to dream, which resonated with the Spurs fans who always shouted 'to dare is to do'. It led to him scoring 159 goals for Spurs — and that was enough for fifth place on the list until a legendary South Korean winger arrived on the scene.
Heung-min Son, Spurs' current club captain, is one of the greatest players in Premier League history — and no one expected that when he arrived in 2015 for £22million. He considered leaving after a year, but eventually found his feet in one of the best leagues in the world.
Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, forming a formidable partnership with Harry Kane whilst also scoring some of the best goals in recent memory. The most impressive thing about Son is his loyalty; he could have easily left N17, but he loves the club and wants to win a trophy with them. For that reason, there's still time for him to move up this list.
Moving on, Martin Chivers joined Tottenham in 1968 from Southampton and his debut goal against Sheffield Wednesday for the club foreshadowed his career. The UEFA Cup, which they won in 1972, was Chivers' most successful season. He scored 44 times in 64 first-team appearances, whilst he saved his most impressive form for the UEFA Cup, scoring eight times in 11 matches to help the club to victory. The striker was billed as 'Big Chiv' for his sturdy physique, natural strength, fast speed, big movements, and flashy shooting technique, but his work ethic was sometimes criticised throughout his career.
Tottenham's most successful spell in their history came during the 1960s. They became the first-ever English side to complete the double and the first side from the nation to win a European competition — in 1963. Joining in 1955 for £18,000 from Chelsea, Bobby Smith was an integral part of Bill Nicholson's side.
He was Tottenham's top scorer in the 1960/61 season, with 33 goals scored in 43 games, including the first of the two goals in the 1961 FA Cup Final. But Smith didn't stop there. He scored in the 1962 FA Cup as well in their 3-1 win against Burnley, cementing his legacy at the club.
After winning the double in 1961, Tottenham still wanted to improve, so they signed Jimmy Greaves, one of the greatest English players of all time, in December of that year. With 268 goals throughout his time in north London, he stood as the club's record goalscorer until a particular England captain came along.
Remarkably, the former Chelsea striker finished his career scoring 15 hat-tricks, which remains a club record. Greaves' ability to find space in the final third and produce powerful shots out of nothing was masterful — and he will forever be a Spurs legend.
Finally, Harry Kane is Tottenham's record all-time goalscorer. With 280 goals in just 430 games, he is seen as a hero by Tottenham fans, even though he left in the summer of 2023 for Bayern Munich. The England captain broke Greaves' record against Manchester City in February 2023, with a composed finish during a 1-0 win.
It epitomised his importance to the club, as he carried them on his back to multiple top-four finishes. Despite not winning a trophy in N17, Kane was truly 'one of their own', with his ability to drop deep, dictate the tempo of matches and spray balls out wide, coupled with his instincts in the penalty box, making him a legend in N17.