Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur boast one of the fiercest rivalries in the English game, with both sides regularly vying for bragging rights in North London.
Although the Gunners have been the better side in terms of overall status and silverware, the form book tends to go out of the window in North London derbies.
In terms of red cards, Arsenal v Tottenham is the fourth fiercest derby in English football, with 16 red cards handed out in Premier League encounters since 1992.
However, there was one particular Spurs defender who was known for being world-class without being dirty, so much so that Thierry Henry once sung his praises.
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano shares how Tottenham insiders feel about signing Mathys Tel permanently
Arsenal icon Thierry Henry said Tottenham legend Ledley King gave him a tough time without being dirty
The player in question is Ledley King, who shone for Tottenham between 1999 and 2012.
King made 323 competitive appearances for Spurs, along with winning 21 England caps, and received just nine yellow cards throughout his entire career.
Henry, speaking to The Independent in 2006, admitted that King gave him a tough time without even needing to be rough.
Considering Henry was in his prime around then, many defenders sought to nullify his threat by hook or by crook – but King didn’t need to do this.
“I don’t like defenders who hold the shirts of other players,” Henry said.
“The only defender here who doesn’t do that and sometimes still gets the ball off my feet easily is Ledley King.
“He is the only guy who doesn’t hold players. He will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender.
“He plays without any contact yet is somehow still strong and gets the ball without doing any fouls.”
Ledley King’s Tottenham career
King was born in Bow in 1980 and played for Senrab FC – the famous youth team which also gave the world the likes of Jermain Defoe, John Terry and Ezri Konsa – as a youngster.
The defender joined Tottenham as a trainee in July 1996 and progressed through the youth system before making his first-team debut in May 1999.
King made 323 competitive appearances for Spurs, registering 14 goals and eight assists, and lifted the 2008 League Cup, the last major trophy won by the Lilywhites.
Sadly, King was plagued by chronic knee problems later on in his career, with Harry Redknapp admitting in 2008 that the player didn’t have any cartilage in his left knee.
“There’s no cure,” The Guardian quoted Redknapp as saying. “There’s no cartilage, nothing to operate on. It’s just bone on bone. So it’s just a question of managing it.
“It swells up after games and it normally takes seven days to recover but having played on Monday night he’s had less time than usual.
“He rarely trains, he mostly just goes to the gym to keep himself ticking over. But not running or anything like that.
“But even if he only plays 20 games a season, he’s worth having because he’s so good we have a much better chance of winning.”
Harry Redknapp was recently asked to build a combined XI of his former players and today’s current crop of Spurs stars, and was asked to pick between King and Micky van de Ven.
