Footballing greats past and present have hailed Jimmy Greaves as “the best goalscorer to ever play” and compared him to Lionel Messi as tributes continue to pour in following the death of the former Tottenham, England and Chelsea striker.
Greaves, who died at home on Sunday morning aged 81, suffered a stroke in May 2015 which had left him wheelchair-bound and with severely impaired speech. He had struggled with alcoholism and quit drinking in 1978.
His former Spurs team-mate Alan Mullery told Sky Sports: “He was a wonderful, wonderful footballer, the best goalscorer to ever play.
“Jimmy certainly deserves inclusion in any list of England’s best players, given his status as one of our greatest goalscorers and his part in our 1966 World Cup success.
“We will pay tribute to his memory at our home match with Hungary at Wembley Stadium next month. His place in our history will never be forgotten.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “Sad to hear the news about Jimmy Greaves. He will be remembered as a goalscoring legend and one of the greats of English football. My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans.”
