Jimmy Greaves, Prolific England Soccer Striker, Dies at 81
- Great composure meant ‘he rarely spurned an opportunity’
- Last player with over 40 goals in English top-flight season
Jimmy Greaves at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London, in 1957.
Photographer: Don Morley/Getty Images
Jimmy Greaves, the prolific England striker who scored on his debut for every team he played for and later carved out a successful media career as the funny half of the “Saint and Greavsie” show, has died. He was 81.
Tottenham Hotspur, for whom Greaves scored a club record 266 goals in 379 appearances, announced his death at home early on Sunday. No cause of death was given. The statement came hours before Tottenham was due to host Chelsea, another London club for whom Greaves starred, in the Premier League.