Huddlestone announces retirement from professional football
Tue 02 July 2024, 12:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
After more than 20 years in the professional game, Tom Huddlestone has called time on his playing career.
A cult hero for many Spurs fans, Tom is perhaps most synonymous with us as a player having enjoyed eight incredible years with us as a new Spurs era dawned.
A signing from Derby County in January, 2005, 'Huddz' joined us as Martin Jol took charge and led us back to European football for the first time in six years as we qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2006.
An artist with the ball, the midfielder was one of the best passers we have seen of the ball in Lilywhite in the modern era while he could certainly strike the ball. His portfolio of goals is one many a footballer would have envy over - perhaps the best of them was his half-volley against Manchester City in December, 2006.
In 2007/08, he was part of our League Cup winning side and played the final hour of the 2008 final at Wembley as we defeated Chelsea 2-1 after extra time.
Over the next few years, Tom's quality and ability continued to evolve as did the team around him. In the 2009/10 season he played a central role in our run to secure Champions League qualification for the first time. Peter Crouch's winner against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in May, 2010, is a goal that will forever be celebrated as the strike that clinched that maiden qualification for European Football's Elite Club, but the importance of 'Huddz's winner as we edged Bolton 1-0 at White Hart Lane earlier that week cannot be underestimated.
The midfielder then played his part in that maiden Champions League campaign as we reached the quarter-final stage. He skippered us in our famous 3-1 home win over the then European Champions Internazionale in the group stage but his season was then to be disrupted by injury as an ankle issue saw him miss nearly five months of action.
Injuries ultimately troubled his final three seasons at the Club. He missed much of the 2011/12 season with a knee injury, making just four appearances before he did find his way back to fitness in his final season to add another 30 appearances to his tally.
He ended up making over 200 appearances during his time in Lilywhite, scoring 16 goals, but more importantly, his sheer work ethic, not to mention his incredible natural talent, endeared him to supporters and made him a much-loved player in N17.
Joining Hull City in the summer of 2013, he later headed back to his first club Derby before then returning Hull prior to finishing his career at Manchester United, where he acted as Player-Coach.
We should like to wish Tom the best of luck with his next endeavours.
