We profile a line-up of Tottenham Hotspur’s oldest Premier League players.
GK: Brad Friedel (42 years, 176 days) – American goalkeeper Brad Friedel made his final Tottenham Hotspur appearance in November 2013, aged 42. Friedel is the current holder of the record for most consecutive Premier League appearances, with 310 uninterrupted games during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Spurs. Friedel remains the oldest ever Premier League representative for the White Hart Lane side, so is the oldest of this oldest XI.
RB: William Gallas (35 years, 198 days) – The French international defender joined the Premier League in 2001, when signing for Chelsea. Gallas spent the entirety of his time in England playing for London’s big three – having also played for Arsenal before joining Spurs in 2010. Gallas made more than 60 league appearances for the Lilywhites – with his last being against rivals Arsenal in March 2013, aged 35.
CB: Gary Mabbutt (36 years, 260 days) – Despite having to manage type 1 diabetes throughout his career, the central defender played almost 500 league games for Spurs between 1982 and 1998 and was the club’s captain from 1987. Mabbutt, a hugely popular figure during his time at White Hart Lane, made his final Tottenham appearance on the last day of the 1997-98 Premier League season, aged 36.
CB: Noureddine Naybet (35 years, 233 days) – Having spent the majority of his career playing for Deportivo La Coruna, Naybet made the move to England in 2004, aged 34. The Moroccan central defender played 30 Premier League games for Spurs – his last coming against Charlton Athletic in October 2005, aged 35.
LB: Clive Wilson (36 years, 142 days) – Euclid Aklana Wilson (named after the famous Greek mathematician), known by many as ‘Clive’, was a popular character at White Hart Lane throughout the second half of the 1990s. Wilson joined Spurs from Queens Park Rangers in 1995 and made 70 Premier League appearances for the club. The left back spent the 1999-2000 season with Cambridge United, before retiring to become a PE teacher.
CM: Micky Hazard (34 years, 273 days) – The midfielder’s Tottenham career started in 1978 – where Hazard played close to 100 league games for Spurs before leaving in 1985 for spells at Chelsea, Portsmouth and Swindon Town. Hazard makes this oldest Premier League Spurs XI as he rejoined the club for a handful of games between 1993 and 1995.
CM: Gustavo Poyet (36 years, 182 days) – Current Shanghai Shenhua manager Gus Poyet made his last Premier League appearance in May 2004, for Spurs, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Poyet retired aged 36, having made 82 Premier League appearances for Tottenham after a four year spell at Chelsea between 1997 and 2001. Poyet has experienced somewhat of a nomadic managerial career since 2009, having been in charge at Brighton & Hove Albion, Sunderland, AEK Athens and Real Betis, before heading to the Chinese Super League last year.
CM: Edgar Davids (33 years, 250 days) – Towards the end of a career that included representing Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona and both Milan clubs, Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids signed for Spurs in 2005. Davids spent two seasons at White Hart Lane, making 40 appearances – the last being in November 2006, aged 33. Davids rejoined Ajax in January 2007, before a return to England which took in two brief spells at Crystal Palace and Barnet.
FW: Jurgen Klinsmann (33 years, 283 days) – Klinsmann experienced two spells as a Spurs player, scoring 30 goals in 56 Premier League appearances for the club. Klinsmann was first signed after the 1994 World Cup, amid a reputation for diving – which the striker famously incorporated into his goal celebrations. After an impactful Spurs debut, Klinsmann capped off a fine first season by being named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. The forward departed for Bayern Munich, then Sampdoria, before returning to White Hart Lane for a loan spell in 1997-98.
FW: Teddy Sheringham (37 years, 38 days) – Sheringham began his 24-year career with Milwall in 1983 and joined Spurs from Nottingham Forest in 1992. The England international scored 76 goals in 166 Premier League games for Tottenham – with his final appearance in May 2003, aged 37. After leaving White Hart Lane, the forward played regularly for Portsmouth, West Ham United and Colchester United, before retirement at the age of 42 (although Sheringham did register himself as a player for Stevenage in 2015, aged 49).
FW: Les Ferdinand (36 years, 21 days) – The centre forward joined Spurs in 1997, after prolific goal scoring spells with QPR and Newcastle United. Ferdinand was the scorer of the Premier League’s 10,000th goal in December 2001, and during his near six year stint at White Hart Lane scored 33 goals in 118 Premier League games – the last of which was in December 2002, aged 36. Ferdinand played for Bolton before playing his final professional game whilst at Reading in 2005.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
