In total, Ledley King made 323 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur in his career, one that was unfortunately held back by his consistent injury issues.
King still managed to earn 21 caps for England, but there was always the feeling that the Tottenham defender could have gone on to do even greater things.
Of course, the defender did win a trophy with Spurs – something that not many Tottenham players can say in recent decades.
Kyle Walker called King ‘underrated’ recently, a player who was arguably just as good as the likes of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry – England internationals he often played alongside.
That being said, King chose a surprise duo when declaring the two most underrated players he featured alongside at Tottenham in the past.
Ledley King chooses two midfielders as Tottenham’s most underrated pair
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT in 2023, King explained why both Didier Zokora and Teemu Tainio were massively underappreciated during their respective careers in N17.
In total, Zokora made 134 appearances for Spurs after joining the club from French side Saint-Etienne in 2006.
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And in terms of Tainio’s Tottenham legacy, the midfielder played for Spurs 83 times having also joined from French football via AJ Auxerre in 2005.
Speaking about both, King said that both did some excellent ‘dirty work’ in the middle, players who were better than Tottenham fans realised.
King said: “I always liked Didier Zokora in the midfield. I thought he was a little bit underrated. Another one was Teemu Tainio, another midfield player.
“They were very important players in the team, but they didn’t always get the plaudits they deserved. As a defender, they were my favourite guys because they did the dirty work in front of me and made my job easier.
“Both of them were underrated and better than people probably thought they were.”
Who are Tottenham’s most underrated players today?
Of course, it’s interesting to consider who would now receive an ‘underrated’ tag in Ange Postecoglou’s squad today.
Perhaps there’s a shout for Guglielmo Vicario to wear that crown – he’s often criticised for his lack of command in his box, but his recent return to the side has shown how important he is.
Otherwise, Pape Matar Sarr could fall into that category, a midfielder who doesn’t always command a place in the starting eleven but one who often thrives whenever he’s involved.
Paul Merson called Sarr ‘inconsistent’ recently, which seems a bit harsh when you consider that Postecoglou often changes his own midfield combination.
It’s one for debate, and some Spurs fans might even think that the likes of Dejan Kulusevski are still underrated in a broader sense – his worth is appreciated in north London but perhaps he’s not rated highly enough by other Premier League fans.
