Ledley King explains his secret to never being sent off in 354 career games and reveals an incredible stat

Ledley King
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ledley King was a rock at the back for Tottenham and England – and he did it without ever being sent off.

The great centre-back was rarely booked, either – quite a remarkable feat given his role on the pitch.

In an interview with FourFourTwo in our latest issue, he explains the reason behind his fantastic disciplinary record.

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"I always tried to stay on my feet as much as possible," King says. "If someone went past me, I'd try to use my speed to rescue the situation.

"The funny thing is, you say I've got eight [yellow cards]; in my head, I still think it should be only three or four!

"Actually, I remember one stat: in one season, I hadn't made a foul in seven or eight games. They highlighted it, and I got a yellow card for the first foul that I made – which wasn't even a yellow card!" 

King spent his whole club career with Spurs, making 323 appearances for the North London club and captaining them for seven years until hanging up his boots in 2012.

He also earned 21 caps for England, featuring for the Three Lions at Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...

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