The likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Teddy Sheringham, David Ginola, Peter Crouch and Darren Anderton are among former team-mates that will line up alongside the ex-central defender as a ‘Ledley King XI’ take on Tottenham’s current first team.
“The preparations are going well,” King exclusively told FourFourTwo. “There are a lot of people doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes and it’s getting there.
"I am obviously very grateful to the club for offering me a testimonial and giving me the chance to walk out on that White Hart Lane pitch and play on it one last time.
"It’s going to be a very special night for me and I’m looking forward to the opportunity too to say thank you to the club and the fans.
“It’s great being back in training with the first team at the moment. There are lots of familiar faces of course. And as far as the players that play for my ‘Ledley King XI’, they have all played for Tottenham themselves and are people that have had a big influence on my career.”
Sheringham, Anderton and Ginola were the first names confirmed in King’s squad of 20 for this showpiece match, with the likes of Paul Robinson, Paul Stalteri, Stephen Clemence and Ruel Fox now also confirming their attendance.
King - who made his Tottenham debut against Liverpool back in 1999 and went on to make 268 league appearances for the Lilywhites before hanging up his boots in May 2012 – is quick to praise their role in his development as a youngster.
“When I was coming up through the ranks at Tottenham, Teddy, Darren and Ginola were all senior players and individuals I looked up to. When I broke through into the first team, they were all incredibly helpful in allowing me to settle in and they’d give me advice to allow me to become the best player that I could.”
Also included in the 33-year-old’s squad for the night is Stephen Carr, who made the cut in Ledley’s ‘My Perfect XI’ that will feature in an upcoming issue of FFT.
“Stephen was someone I played with early on in my Tottenham days,” says King. “For at least three seasons, he was the best right-back in the division for me without any shadow of a doubt. Consistent and great going forward.”
Ledley King was speaking at the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation's Skills project, one of Ledley's chosen charity partners for his Testimonial Match. Tickets are still available to purchase priced at £20 for adults, £10 for seniors and £5 for juniors. For further information, click here or call 0844 844 0102.
