One-club man, captain, legend - Ledley King is the latest player to take a look back at his Spurs career through the photographer's lens.
Born in Bow, east London, Ledley began training in the old ball court at White Hart Lane aged 14 - alongside Peter Crouch - before signing as an Associated Schoolboy and then full-time in our Academy in 1997.
He made his Premier League debut in 1999 before firmly establishing himself in the team in 2001/02.
Made captain in 2004/05, Ledley went on to make 323 appearances for the Club in all competitions, lifting the League Cup in 2008 and leading us into the Champions League in 2010. Badly affected by knee trouble in his later years, Ledley finally called it at day at the end of the 2011/12 season and has since maintained ties with us as Club Ambassador.
Now 38, Ledley won 21 caps for England and played in the 2004 European Championships and 2010 World Cup.
Here is his Spurs life in pictures...
First run in the team and in action against Liverpool and Robbie Fowler at the Lane, November, 2000 - Ledley: "I remember myself and Alton Thelwell both playing. It was his debut and my first game for a while. We were struggling at that point and the manager turned to the younger players. I played in midfield, Alton was at the back and it went well. It lifted the crowd, seeing two young, home-grown players in the team and that translated onto the pitch. Liverpool had Fowler and Owen – what a debut for Alton! I was in midfield, I was alright!"
Up against future team-mate Robbie Keane, Spurs v Leeds at the Lane, 2001, Ledley: "To be honest, with Robbie, I remember playing against him and what was great about him was his movement. He had movement of a continental player, a little different from the traditional English centre forward. He was very clever, very intelligent. I remember him leaving me for about 10 yards with one simple piece of movement that I’d never come across - and that was Robbie as a young player! I took that on board and said ‘that will never happen again’. What a player. We went on to become team-mates and great friends."
Celebrating a goal with Dean Richards and Teddy Sheringham, 2001 - Ledley: "Dean was a big influence on my career. He was a lovely guy and we all loved him. He was a warrior and put his body in the way of everything. When you are a young defender and see that... I didn’t necessarily start my career being that type of defender, so it was important for me to see that to be a complete defender, you had to be able to do all parts of the game. I saw Deano put his body on the line, put his head in places that people didn’t like to put their heads and acknowledged this was something I could learn from him. It was such a sad loss (Dean sadly passed away in 2011)."
England debut v Italy and up against Vincenzo Montella, 2002 - Ledley: "I remember coming on half-time at Elland Road. There were a few of us making our debuts – it was back in the days where we’d change just about the whole team at half-time in friendlies. Every step is a test and until you do it, you are never sure. You have to take the challenge on. You come away from the game thinking 'I’m delighted I made my England debut, delighted I achieved that’ but at the same time, knowing you can improve."
Taking on former team-mate and future Spurs coach Les Ferdinand, 2004 - Ledley: "I always knew how difficult Les was to play against because I’d had that in training. He wasn’t the tallest but he had such a leap on him, great timing in the air. He played well in this game. He was up for it. He got the better of me that day and I remember thinking ‘Les has still got it’. Great player, great guy as well."
First goal for England against Portugal, 2004 - Ledley: "It was my first goal for England, my first start as well. It was another test. Are you good enough? Portugal had Ronaldo, Figo. I played alongside Gareth Southgate. He helped me through the game. I played well and scored from a David Beckham free-kick."
Heads up against Thierry Henry and France at Euro 2004 - Ledley: "Another test, my first competitive game and England’s first game of the tournament. France were defending champions – Zidane, Henry, Trezuguet, Pires, Vierra – but we played well. We missed a penalty to go 2-0 up. France scored two late goals but we took a lot of heart from it. We should have won really. That tournament was the making of Wayne Rooney. It was the dreaded penalties that knocked us out against Portugal."
Now captain, this is the famous 4-5 against Arsenal in 2004 - Ledley: "I was 23 at the time and played under Teddy Sheringham and Jamie Redknapp, two guys of great experience. I tried to learn from them and how approachable they were, easy to talk to. I was an honour for me to captain the team. I’d been there longer than anyone else and understood what it meant."
Celebrating a goal in the north London derby with Michael Dawson at the Lane on our way to fifth in 2005/06 - Ledley: "We were closing the gap, starting to compete with the top teams. This was 1-1 and one of my favourite goals. It was just about timing, great ball from Michael Carrick and great to score against our rivals. That felt good!"
Tangling with Dani Alves as we take on Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, 2007 - Ledley: "We did well in Sevilla, but they were really good on the night in the second leg, Alves, Kanoute, they were strong and went 2-0 up. It finished 2-2 though, 4-3 on aggregate. It was a real test. It showed us that we still had improvements to make to compete on that stage. It was different for us, a different style that we had to get used to."
Taking on Brazil and the great Kaka in a friendly at Wembley, 2007 - Ledley: "Ronaldinho, Kaka, Brazil, it was the first game at the new Wembley as well, a special game. We drew 1-1 but should have won, we played well and they scored late. It’s always great to play against Brazil because they were a big influence on me as a kid. I grew up idolising Romario, Ronaldo, Dunga, early 1990s, so to get a chance to play against Brazil with such special players was great."
Celebrating with matchwinner Jonathan Woodgate at the end of the League Cup Final win against Chelsea, 2008 - Ledley: "That’s relief, and there is pure love and emotion in that. Once the final whistle went, it was like ‘we’ve done it’ and all the emotions poured out. It was the first time we’d played together as well! It was a mixture of exhaustion, emotion and relief."
Lifting the League Cup at Wembley, 2008 - Ledley: "It was so special, especially for the players who had been at the Club for a while like Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon, Paul Robinson, Jermaine Jenas. I was so proud. I was so happy for the players and how much it meant for us to achieve something for the Club. You don’t want to finish your career without the opportunity to do something like that, I was so honoured to get that opportunity."
Securing fourth place and Champions League qualification with a 1-0 win at City, 2010 - Ledley: "It was one of those nights you want to be involved in. For many years, we’d watched games that meant something and I always wanted to be in those games – that was one. To go away from home against a very good City team, they’d just started to spend big money, and do that was special. What this game told me was about our team spirit and desire. Crouchy's winning goal – it was pandemonium. We all went over to the fans afterwards. It meant so much to everyone, a special, special night."
Celebrating a goal for England against Mexico at Wembley with Peter Crouch, 2010 - Ledley: "I’m so pleased with the career Crouchy has had. He left the Club at 19 and had to take the long way to the top. He always believed in himself, always had the confidence. He had great coaching as a kid and that instilled the belief that he was good enough. To play with him at Spurs, then England, that was special - and he set me up for this goal as well!"
Facing the USA in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup - Ledley: "You dream of playing in the World Cup but unfortunately it’s not something that I look back on with fond memories. I went on a good run at the end of the 2009/10 season, we qualified for the Champions League and that gave me the belief that I could go to South Africa and stay fit. I played two warm-up games as well. Then, five minutes into the first game, I felt my groin go when I went up for a header. I managed to get through the first half, didn’t really get tested. The strange thing is looking at the photo that I didn’t have cycling shorts on and from a certain age, I’d played with cycling shorts. That’s what I put it down to!"
Champions League play-off, second leg against Young Boys at the Lane, 3-2 down from the first leg, 2010 - Ledley: "Once we managed to get the score back to 3-2 in Switzerland (we were trailing 3-0) we were confident we’d have enough back at the Lane. At 3-0 down in the first half... I was watching from home and you were thinking ‘after all that hard work getting there’. Even at 3-0 though I felt we could get back into it. Once we got to the Lane, fans behind us, we made no mistake. It was a great first taste of Champions League football. That set us up for the group stage."
First game in the Champions League, a 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen, 2010 - Ledley: "We played really well, Crouchy scored. The feeling was actually disappointing to draw but we took a lot of confidence from that. It’s interesting to see Marko Arnautovic in that photo as well. You just don’t realise how careers might develop at that point."
Ledley's last game, a 1-0 loss at QPR on 21 April, 2012 - Ledley: "I felt good in the first half of the season and we made a great start (our best start to a Premier League season after 14 games). I then took a whack on my knee and I wasn’t the same in the second half of the season. I started to struggle. I managed it quite well – I still played 23 games – but I could feel my performances starting to decline, my mobility was becoming worse and I just knew. It was tough. In the back of my mind I could probably have struggled on but long-term, it wasn’t worth it. I was too proud in my performances to struggle on and that was the biggest factor."
Back at the Lane for his Testimonial, 2014 - Ledley: "I loved that it was all in-house, so we got the chance to see the legends and some of the younger players as well. It was everything great about Tottenham. It’s something that fans still talk to me about and that says a lot. It was a great opportunity to play for the last time and yes, an emotional night."
Work in the community in his role as Club Ambassador - Ledley: "I try to give advice – I was a lad who grew up in London with a dream. I try to promote the message to youngsters that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. I love my role and there are so many different elements to it, every part I enjoy thoroughly. I love being connected with the Club still, and working with many of the people I’ve been around for a number of years now. It’s great."
Back at the Lane for one last time and with Teddy Sheringham at the Finale, May 2017 - Ledley: "It was a special day, another emotional day! To get all the legends there as well, fantastic. I’m sure everyone had time to reflect on special moments they had at White Hart Lane, players and fans. It was my second home basically for the best part of 20 years. It meant a lot to me and played a huge part in my career and my life. It was an emotional day but onwards and upwards. We went out in style, beating United, the team that had dominated the Premier League for 20 years."
Ledley hits Hollywood - on tour with the first team in America, 2018 - Ledley: "It was great fun. What’s nice is that as a player, you don’t get the chance to see much when you travel. Now I’m able to get out, mix with fans and basically give something back. These are the people who have supported the Club, supported us as players and sometimes from afar, so it’s great to meet them, get a bit closer to them and listen to their Spurs stories. It’s something I enjoy."
