The former Spurs captain admits that he could never enjoy featuring for his country as much as his club.
Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King has told Joe.co.uk, as reported by the London Evening Standard, that he always enjoyed playing for his club more than he did featuring for his country.
King only ever played for Spurs during his career, joining the club at the age of 16 and remaining at White Hart Lane until his premature injury-prompted retirement at the age of 31.
He played 321 senior games for the North London club during his 13-year career in the first team, captaining the side for the majority of them.
Though consistent problems from a knee injury sustained early in his career ultimately restricted King from reaching the full extent of his potential, he was still good enough to win 21 caps for England, featuring at Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup.
Whilst for many footballers appearing for their country is the highlight of their career, King admitted to Joe.co.uk that he never felt the same level of enjoyment or thrill as he did when he was turning out for Spurs, despite the obvious honour of international recognition.
King said, via the Standard: “It’s a different type of pressure. When you’re amongst your people that you’ve been around for a long time at club level it has a different feel to internationals. You don’t want to call each other strangers but there’s a different feel.
“You feel a bit more relaxed around your club mates, which makes it more enjoyable. You’re very proud when you play for England but the enjoyment was never the same for me.”
Had King been able to stay injury-free in his career, he could feasibly still be playing at club level now, and would surely have racked up a far higher number of both appearances for Spurs and caps for England.
As it is, though, he has only the memories of often-sporadic games for club and country, and it is clear that the memories he holds dearest are from his time at White Hart Lane rather than at national level.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
