Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has become a big part of English football history. Spurs have had ups and downs over the years. The club from north London have spent the majority of their history in the English top flight and also not only graced European competitions but also won them.
Many players have played their part in the club’s history and represented the north London outfit with pride and passion. Here are the ten players who have made the most appearances for Tottenham. Random side note, 7 out of the 10 players have double letters consecutively in their surnames, weird:
Steve Perryman (866 appearances from 1969–1986)
The versatile Perryman came through the ranks at the club and made an incredible 866 appearances for the team from north London. He became a club stalwart with Spurs over his long playing career.
His time at Tottenham was trophy-laden, as he won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup each twice in his playing career with Spurs. He also captained his side to the two FA Cup victories in 1981 and 1982.
On an individual basis, Perryman was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1982. He was also capped once for England at international level.
Gary Mabbutt (611 appearances from 1982–1998)
Although some way behind Perryman in appearances made, Mabbutt was another player who served Tottenham for over a decade and a half. The centre-back moved to the north London club in 1982 from Bristol Rovers and scored on his Tottenham debut.
Mabbutt won the UEFA Cup with the club in 1984, as well as captaining Tottenham to the 1991 FA Cup. He was also on the losing side of a famous 3-2 extra time FA Cup final defeat to Coventry City in 1987, when he scored, only to score an own goal to gift the team from the Midlands victory.
The centre-back represented England 16 times internationally and, in 1994, was awarded an MBE for services to football.
Pat Jennings (590 appearances from 1964–1977)
The Northern Irishman is a Tottenham and football icon. Jennings moved to Spurs in 1964 from Newry, costing a fee of around £27,000 and enjoyed a 13-year spell with the club, winning the FA Cup in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and the UEFA Cup in 1972.
In the 1967 Charity Shield, Jennings famously scored from his own area against Manchester United’s Alex Stepney.
Jennings won a number of individual awards during his playing career with Spurs. In 1973, he was awarded FWA Footballer of the Year. The goalkeeper won the PFA Player of the Year award three years later while also being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 1974 and 1976.
Tom Morris (523 appearances from 1899–1912)
The half-back joined Tottenham from Gainsborough Trinity in 1899 and went on to make 523 appearances for the north London club.
Morris was part of the 1901 Tottenham side that won the FA Cup courtesy of a 3-1 win over Sheffield United in a replay. The victory was historical, as at that time, Tottenham was not part of the football league, so they became the first non-league team to win the FA Cup.
On his retirement from playing, Morris joined Tottenham’s ground staff and remained in the job until his death in 1942.
Cyril Knowles (506 appearances from 1964–1975)
The left-back joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough in 1964 for £45,000. He made his full debut on the opening day of the 1964/65 season in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United.
Knowles spent 11 years with Spurs. Some claim he was ahead of his time, as he played like a modern attacking full-back and had excellent crossing ability.
The Yorkshireman picked up several winner’s medals with Tottenham, as he won the FA Cup in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 73 and the UEFA Cup in 1972.
Glenn Hoddle (490 appearances from 1975–1987)
The attacking midfielder is regarded as one of the most skilful players ever to grace a Tottenham shirt. Hoddle joined Spurs as a junior in 1970 and turned professional in 1975. He made his first-team debut at just 17, replacing Knowles in a game against Norwich City.
Hoddle helped Spurs to win promotion back to the First Division in 1978 before being part of the team that won back-to-back FA Cups in 1981 and 1982, as well as the 1984 UEFA Cup.
The midfielder was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1980 while also being named in the PFA First Division Team of the Year on five occasions. In 2007, Hoddle was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
Ted Ditchburn (452 appearances from 1946–1958)
The goalkeeper signed professional terms with Tottenham in 1939 after previously playing for Northfleet United, who was considered something of a youth team for Tottenham at the time. He made his debut for Tottenham in 1940 against Chelsea in a wartime league match.
However, Ditchburn’s league debut was delayed until 1946 due to the Second World War, with his team suffering a 2-1 defeat against Birmingham City in his maiden league outing. Ditchburn played all of Spurs’ matches in the 1949/50 season, as they won promotion from the Second Division. The following season his team went one better and won the First Division title.
He continued to represent Tottenham until 1958 when a broken finger against capital rivals Chelsea contributed to his retirement.
Hugo Lloris (443 appearances from 2012– present)
The French World Cup winner joined Tottenham in 2012 from Lyon for a fee of an initial £10m with £5m potential add-ons. The goalkeeper has been a solid last line of defence for Spurs for over a decade.
Although Lloris has yet to win silverware with Tottenham, he helped his team to the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, where they were defeated 2-0 by Liverpool. He was also a runner-up in the League Cup on two occasions, in 2015 and 2021.
Alan Gilzean (439 appearances from 1964-1974)
The Scottish forward was a vital member of the Tottenham team that experienced success in the 1960s and 1970s. He joined Spurs in 1964 from Dundee for a fee of £72,000 and made his debut for the club against Everton just a week later.
Gilzean won the FA Cup in 1967 with Spurs, as well as the UEFA Cup in 1972 and the League Cup on two occasions in 1971 and 1973. His performances were so good for Tottenham that he earned the nickname “The King of White Hart Lane”.
The forward was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in 2013 in recognition of his service to the north London club.
Jimmy Dimmock (437 appearances from 1919-1931)
The outside left turned professional with Tottenham in 1919. Dimmock became the youngest Tottenham to appear in an FA Cup final in 1921 when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
Dimmock is also the only Tottenham player to play 400 games for the club and score 100 league goals. He also made three international appearances for England from 1921-1926.