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He was the most appropriately-named defender in English football.

More than Bale, Berbatov, Modric and the great Teddy Sheringham, Ledley King is Spurs star most revered by journalists for his White Hart Lane tour of duty.

Not only because of his outstanding, effortless ability to read the game.

Or the peerless leadership skills capable of coaxing ordinary defenders around him into producing extraordinary performances.

Not even because of the respect and the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow combatants.

The overwhelming reason why King was seen as the finest player of his generation was his courage. His invincible spirit. His bravery in battling through the pain barrier to defy medical science.

His refusal to accept that the knees that so often wanted to give in were ever likely to do so.

Everybody knows the numbers: 268 appearances for Tottenham over a 14-year career that could - sorry, would - have touched the sky had his body been kinder to him.

Entire press conferences with successive managers were dominated by questions about his condition. Was he fit? Did he train? How did he feel? Would he cope?

For each of those custodians - Jol, Ramos, Redknapp and even Eriksson and Capello at England level - King may have been a conundrum. But, for someone so vulnerable, when available for service he was a man of steel.

He finally landed the silverware that his stellar talents deserved when he lifted the Carling Cup (as it was named at the time) in February 2008. On that magnificent day at Wembley he lasted the entire 120 minutes, restricting goal machine Didier Drogba to just one goal and Nicolas Anelka to none.

(Image: Getty Images)

It was no surprise that in 2010, the only season that Spurs have so far qualified for the Champions League, King played in three of the crucial four end-of-season wins - over Arsenal, Bolton and Manchester City - that sealed fourth place.

Among his 21 caps was an outstanding first competitive game for England against France at Euro 2004. Amid despair at surrendering the lead to Zinedine Zidane's brilliance, there was universal praise from the scribes at King's imperious silencing of Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Robert Pires.

Despite the call from even bigger clubs for his services - and they did come - for King White Hart Lane was his castle. He was a one-club man whose commitment to Tottenham was total. A man who would rather die with his boots on than let down the fans of N17.

In turn the Spurs supporters hailed him with their own unique take on his fitness: "Oh Ledley Ledley/He's Only got one knee/He's better than John Terry/Oh Ledley Ledley."

Our match reports routinely led on his inspirational genius. Yet he never believed in his own publicity. Win or lose he always made himself available in mixed zones for interview. He never shirked his responsibility as captain. He always found time - if only to say hello - for the journalists that followed Tottenham home and away.

As part of this press tribute, I spoke to a couple of the reporters on the regular Spurs beat about their observations on White Hart Lane's finest.

"He was a gentleman" said Gary Jacob at The Times. "All that talent and yet it never went to his head. He never believed himself to be too big to talk to us, regardless of the result. He knew what it meant to represent Spurs."

For Paul Jiggins at The Sun, one word came to mind: "Loyalty. He was a one-club man who always had time for his friends. I remember once asking him about the many operations he had had. But rather than talk about himself he said: 'Yeah, but Alton has had even more.'

"He'd come through at Spurs with Alton Thelwell. They've known each other since they were kids. Ledley doesn't ditch friends easily.

"My first encounter with him wasn't even through journalism. It was through Tottenham schoolboys. I had been watching one of their teams play with a pal of mine whose son had been taking part.

"My friend pointed Ledley out and even as a teenager you could see that he was a class apart. He went on to become a modern great, one of a dying breed. Had he stayed fit he could have gone on to become one of the best defenders in the world."

Matt Dunn at the Express added: "His was a very quiet and understated authority.

"His personal determination to overcome his knee injury week after week meant that, close up, you could really see his commitment to the cause."

Laura Williamson at the Daily Mail said: "My last interview with him was just after he'd retired. He was heavily involved in a youth project in Tottenham. You turn up at these things as a reporter and you can generally tell when players are paying lip service.

"But there he was, high-fiving all the kids and the staff that he knew by name. From the way that he was relating to people it was obvious that he had been a regular there, heavily involved.

"As a player, well, like Harry Redknapp said, he was a Rolls Royce. Despite no training and no knees, his timing and his reading of the game were incredible. His change of gear was effortless. Everything was always in his stride. He was a fantastic footballer and he is still an inspirational man."

Like my colleagues, and media around the world, it has been a joy to witness at first hand such an awesome talent in full flow. A pleasure to know the man universally respected throughout the football family. And a priviledge to be involved in involved in paying tribute to this occasion.

We live in an era where the contribution of a footballer is measured in pound signs and silverware.

The career of Ledley King - a man unable to have a kickabout with his own son because of the state of his knees - shows there is so much more of a barometer than that.

Other players may have more medals. Few, however, can match him for the esteem in which he will always be held.