Harry Kane will have to stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career AND stay fit if he is to stand any chance of beating Jimmy Greaves’s incredible goalscoring record for the club.
That’s according to Glenn Hoddle , another Spurs legend and a man who has studied both strike stars closely over the years.
“Jimmy is true legend and the goalscoring record, I don’t think it will be beaten,” said Hoddle.
“Harry has 181 goals and has a chance, but Jimmy got 266, so the question will be whether Harry stays.
“To beat Jimmy’s record, Harry will have to stay another seven or eight years, so it’s whether he stays at the club and stays fit.
“Hopefully he might be able to do it but he’s the only one who might.”
Greaves is sharply back in focus with a new film about his life — Greavsie — airing on BT Sport on Tuesday, two days before the 80th birthday of a man regarded by many as England’s greatest goalscorer.
(Image: PA)
The former Chelsea , AC Milan, Spurs and West Ham ace sits fourth on the all-time list of Three Lions goalscorers with 44.
But, incredibly, he reached that number in just 57 games and at a time when international defences were far tougher than some of those on display today.
Hoddle, along with pals and peers of Greaves such as Steve Perryman, Ray Clemence and Cliff Jones, contribute to the film.
And he added: “Jimmy Greaves’s are born, not bred.
“When I was eight or nine, my dad took me to two or three games Jimmy played in and he scored superb goals.
“It was just a pleasure to watch him.
“A few years later, I was gutted because he had his testimonial against West Ham at Tottenham and he came back for a week to train.
“I’d broken into the first team but had an ankle injury, so I couldn’t train with him and play in the game.
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“I watched him from a window upstairs and I learned so much about how he was forever looking over his shoulder.
“I couldn’t believe how many times he wasn’t looking at the play, wasn’t looking at the ball, he was forever looking to see where he was and where opponents were, and where he was in relation to the goal.
“Every time the ball came to him he had one or two touches and, bang: he had a shot and either scored or the goalie had to make a save.
“It was incredible and that was a real lesson.
“He was one of those players like George Best — there was a buzz around the ground when he got hold of the ball.
“People expected something to happen.
“You couldn’t coach someone like Jimmy Greaves.”
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Asked how Greaves would be viewed if he was playing today, Hoddle said: “When you compare players, don’t compare them that way round.
“Take the generations back and ask, ‘How would Lionel Messi play back in Jimmy’s era, or back in the 80s?
“We played on crap pitches and they were even worse when Jimmy played.
“Jimmy Greaves playing on today’s pitches and nobody being able to tackle him…
“All great players would be great players in any era, and what do know is that Jimmy was a bloody great player.”
