Marcel Desailly and Mickael Silvestre have both waxed lyrical about a former Tottenham Hotspur striker, with Silvestre even naming him as the toughest opponent he ever faced.
Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with some world-class strikers over the course of their history, including in the Premier League era.
While fans of a certain age will remember the likes of Jimmy Greaves and Martin Chivers, more recent generations have had the fortune of witnessing the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Gary Lineker, Jurgen Klinsmann, Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe and many other great number nines grace the White Hart Lane pitch.
That legacy has carried all the way to the modern day, with Harry Kane becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer a few years ago, and Tottenham fans will be hoping that Dominic Solanke carries on that legacy.
Marcel Desailly and Mickael Silvestre ‘suffered’ against Tottenham star
Desailly and Silvestre have both played against some of the very best strikers in world football, both at club level and internationally, but the pair picked a former Tottenham man as one of the hardest that they have faced.
The player they are referring to is Les Ferdinand, who led the line impressively at White Hart Lane from 1998 to 2003, scoring 33 times for the club in 118 appearances.
Silvestre talked about the Tottenham star on the Tales, Tears and Trophies podcast: “I’ve read somewhere, I’m taking you back to Chelsea. The toughest opponent for you was Alan Shearer. In the same bracket for me, same as being not as dominant in the air. I’m not the tallest anyway, but I suffered a lot against Les Ferdinand.”
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Desailly responded: “Ooh, Les Ferdinand,” and Silvestre quipped back: “That was another big player, yeah?”
The former Chelsea centre-back then concluded: “Yes, also, yeah. He had good timing. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I even have some little scar. I’m sure if we look very… Oh, yes, with his elbow. Wow. Les Ferdinand, less dirty, but amazing quality of player, yeah.”
Les Ferdinand is more impressive than his numbers suggest
Ferdinand is perhaps not held in the same esteem by some Spurs fans as some of the other great strikers who wore the Tottenham colours over the last few decades.
The 58-year-old played his best football for Newcastle United and never managed to hit the same heights in his five seasons at Tottenham.
However, he was a brilliant all-round centre-forward, who not only made the life of opposition centre-backs difficult but also proved a good foil for the likes of Klinsmann.