Tottenham Hotspur have had some of the greatest players in Premier League history down the years, from Ballon d'Or winners like Luka Modric to international superstars such as Gareth Bale and Harry Kane, but former striker Dimitar Berbatov believes one Spurs star is even better than people realised.
Tottenham's worst ever Premier League points total confirmed
Spurs have a lot left to play for this season with a Europa League final showdown against Manchester United to come on Wednesday, but the 2024/25 campaign will go down as their worst ever Premier League season.
Ange Postecoglou's side have lost 21 top flight matches and conceded 61 goals in the competition this term, and with one game remaining sit on just 38 points, meaning they cannot surpass their previous worst total from the 1997/98 campaign, when they finished in 14th place on 44 points.
Tottenham's best Premier League players in pictures
While there is clearly a lack of quality in the current squad, Tottenham's problems this season have been exacerbated by injuries, particularly in their defence.
It is a tale fans in North London are all too familiar with, as perhaps one of the most talented players in their history was unable to stay fit for the majority of his career - England defender Ledley King.
The Tottenham academy graduate managed 268 league appearances for the club as well as 21 caps for the Three Lions, even though former manager Harry Redknapp once revealed he rarely trained due to his injuries.
"There's no cure. 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."
Berbatov: Ledley King was as good as Ferdinand and Vidic
One man who was lucky enough to play with several of the best centre-backs in Premier League history was Berbatov, who joined Manchester United in 2008 after two successful seasons with Spurs.
And the Bulgaria legend revealed in an interview with TalkSPORT that for all his success at United - winning two Premier League titles - it was King who was right up there as one of his best ever teammates.
"For me he was up there with [Nemanja] Vidic and Rio [Ferdinand]. He was so intelligent and read the game so well. He was always intercepting balls purely because he knew where the striker would be."
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is another of King's admirers, revealing he was the "only defender" in England who could take the ball off him "without you even noticing".
King spent the 2020/21 season on Jose Mourinho's first team staff and has since continued his work with the club in an ambassadorial role, while his name can still be heard ringing out around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 26th minute on match days.