Tottenham Hotspur is a soccer club with a rich history. Famous soccer players have worn their jerseys, and great soccer coaches have managed the team. The club has numerous trophies to its name.
Tottenham Hotspur is a London-based professional soccer team. They are known as Spurs and are nicknamed The Lilywhites. Formed on September 5, 1882, Tottenham plays their home games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. At the time of writing, the club has won 2 First Division titles.
As a Spurs and soccer fan, this article brings you everything you need to know about this famous professional soccer team.
Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
Bobby Buckle and some school friends came up with the idea to form a soccer club. As a result, Tottenham Hotspur was founded on September 5, 1882. They were initially known as Hotspur Football Club, named after Harry Hotspur.
Two years after its formation, in April 1884, the team changed its name to Tottenham to prevent confusion with another London club named Hotspur.
Since its foundation, Tottenham has played many games but only joined professional soccer on December 20, 1895. They got associated with the Southern League’s Division One in 1986.
The London club joined the First Division in 1909, where they spent five consecutive seasons.
If you want to learn about the history and foundation of Tottenham, you may want to read this article.
Tottenham Hotspur Ground
Tottenham Hotspur currently plays their home soccer matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the new Tottenham Hotspur ground recently opened its door on April 3, 2019.
Since its formation in 1882, The Lilywhites have played at different soccer fields. After its foundation, they started to practice soccer on the Tottenham Marshes. Due to the rapid expansion of their fanbase, they needed to shift to a bigger stadium. As a result, they moved to the Asplins Farm in 1888.
One year later, Tottenham Hotspur shifted to the famous White Hart Lane. The stadium previously had a capacity of 80,000 in 1934. But, this number was reduced to 50,000 in 1979 following some changes to the structure.
In 1989, the stadium again underwent further modifications to comply with the recommendations of the Taylor Report. Subsequently, it brought the overall capacity of White Hart Lane to 36,000.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium began in 2015. The new soccer field has a capacity of 62,850 seats. Besides, if required, the stadium size can be further increased.
The expansion of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has already been discussed within the board. It is to be noted that the construction of the soccer ground cost £1 billion.
The capacity of the soccer field makes it the second-largest stadium in the Premier League. Old Trafford, the home ground of Manchester United, has 74,140 seats.
The architect of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium is Populous. The structural engineers were Buro Happold, Schlaich Bergermann (roof), and SCX (retractable pitch). The general contractor of the soccer field was Mace.
Tottenham Hotspur Logo
The very first Tottenham Hotspur logo had a cockerel standing on a ball. A few years later, the Tottenham badge was changed to a fighting cock. The Tottenham Hotspur logo has been subject to many changes.
The most recent update to the Tottenham Hotspur crest happened in 2006. A revamp of the badge resulted in a more sleek and eye-catching design.
Tottenham Hotspur Jersey
The first jersey worn by Tottenham Hotspur players in 1883 was of a navy blue color with white shorts. Since then, their soccer kit has undergone many modifications.
Following Blackburn Rovers’ triumph in the FA Cup in 1884, Tottenham adapted their jersey to the Lancashire club’s. The London team changed their shirt to the previously navy blue color a few years later.
Between 1890-1896, Spurs played in red shirts and blue shorts. Later in 1896, they changed their jersey to a chocolate and gold stripe one.
As the years followed, sponsorship arrived in soccer. It allowed soccer teams to make money by wearing a jersey with their sponsors’ names. In 2014, Tottenham signed a sponsorship deal with AIA (AIA Group Limited).
The current home jersey of Spurs as of 2021 is a white shirt with blue shorts. The deal is understood to bring them approximately £45 million per year.
Totttenham Hotspur in the Premier League
Spurs gained promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1909. Since then, the London club has been among the elite teams in English soccer.
Tottenham has won two First Division titles in their history. However, their first-ever league trophy arrived during the 1950-51 campaign. They finished the season with 60 points, four more than second-place Manchester United.
Ten years later, The Lilywhites became First Division champions for the second time. They topped the league table after 42 games. During the title-winning campaign, they amassed 66 points, with Sheffield Wednesday finishing second with 58 points.
Tottenham Hotspur fans are hopeful to witness their team win a third Premier League trophy soon.
The Lilywhites in the FA Cup
Tottenham has won the FA Cup trophy eight times in their history. Their first FA Cup triumph happened in 1900-01 when they overcame Sheffield United over two legs in the final.
The London-based outfit went on to secure seven additional FA Cups afterward. Their most recent win in the FA Cup was against Nottingham Forest. During the final at the Wembley Stadium, the Tricky Trees lost by 2-1 in the extra time.
The Lilywhites in the League Cup/EFL Trophy
Spurs have won the League Cup on four occasions. Their last League Cup trophy arrived in 2008 when they overcame Chelsea by 2-1. Goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate canceled a first-half lead by Didier Drogba of Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League
Tottenham faced Liverpool in their first-ever UEFA Champions League final in 2019. Jürgen Klopp’s men eventually won the final by 2-0. The game took place at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
Spurs in the UEFA Europa League
The Lilywhites have won the Europa League twice. Tottenham’s first victory was in the 1971-72 final. Their second UEFA Cup came in the 1983-84 final, where they defeated Anderlecht.
Tottenham Hotspur Managers
Many great soccer managers have managed Tottenham Hotspur. Yet, Frank Brettell has the highest percentage win, having won 37 out of 63 games. Brettell was the manager of Spurs between 1898 and 1899.
Bill Nicholson is undoubtedly the most outstanding manager in the history of Tottenham Hotspur. The gaffer managed Spurs between 1958 to 1975. During his reign, Nicholson guided Tottenham to a total of 11 trophies.
Some other famous coaches who managed The Lilywhites are Keith Burkinshaw, Arthur Rowe, and Peter McWilliam. You may want to read about all the Tottenham managers in their history.
Tottenham Hotspur Goalkeepers
Hugo Lloris is the current goalkeeper and captain of Tottenham Hotspur. The French international joined Spurs on August 31, 2012, for £8.5 million.
Lloris can widely be regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and the world. He has won many prestigious awards during his career. Lloris has lifted the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Nations League with France.
Some of the best goalkeepers who have worn the Spurs jersey along the years are Pat Jennings, Ted Ditchburn, Bill Brown, Ray Clemence, and Erik Thorstvedt.
Tottenham Hotspur Defenders
The Lilywhites have had many great defenders wearing their famous soccer kit in the past. Some of the best defenders in the history of Tottenham Hotspur are Graham Roberts, Dave Mackay, Steve Perryman, Ledley King, and Toby Alderweireld.
For the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, some of the defenders forming the back four of Spurs are listed below. We are only considering defenders with the most match appearances.
The defenders’ names are Eric Dier, Emerson Royal, Sergio Reguilón, Davinson Sánchez, Japhet Tanganga, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, and Matt Doherty, respectively.
Tottenham Hotspur Midfielders
Spurs have known some big names who have occupied the midfield position. These are just a few names, but this list goes on.
The best midfielders in the history of Tottenham are Luka Modric, Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele, Aaron Lennon, Rafael van der Vaart, David Ginola, and Michael Carrick.
We will look at the current midfield of Tottenham Hotspur for the 2021-22 campaign. The players names are Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele, and Oliver Skipp.
Tottenham Hotspur Forwards
The forward line of Spurs has witnessed some big names in the Premier League.
The best strikers in the history of Tottenham are Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith, Martin Chivers, Alan Gilzean, and Len Duquemin. Of course, the number of forwards that have worn the Tottenham kit is much longer, but we have cited only a few of them.
As for the 2021-22 soccer campaign, the list of strikers is as follows. The Tottenham Hotspur forwards are Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, and Bryan Gil.
Tottenham Hotspur Captain
Hugo Lloris is the Tottenham Hotspur captain for the 2021-22 Premier League season. The French international was named Spurs captain in August 2015 by ex-coach Mauricio Pochettino. He replaced Younès Kaboul in that role.
Harry Kane is the vice-captain of The Lilywhites. Besides, Kane is also the captain of England’s national side.
Tottenham Hotspur Owner and Net Worth
The owner of Tottenham Hotspur is self-made billionaire Joe Lewis, while the chairman of Spurs is Daniel Levy. Daniel is a British businessman, and you can often see him at the stadium. On the other hand, Joe does not often visit the soccer ground.
As of 2021, the total net worth of Tottenham Hotspur is estimated at approximately £1.7 billion.
Tottenham Hotspur Fixtures
Spurs compete in the English Premier League, the top-tier English soccer league. Besides, they play in domestic competitions such as the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup every season.
Visit Tottenham Hotspur’s official website to access their fixtures and results. Likewise, match reports are also available for completed games.