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Tottenham Hotspur have been a mainstay at the top end of the Premier League table recently. The north London club have a rich pedigree to boast of, winning the top flight on two occasions.
They have also won eight FA Cups, four League Cups, and two continental trophies. The Lilywhites have also reached the finals of the Champions League in the 2018-19 season and boast an exciting project with illustrious ambitions.
However, Tottenham’s position as a bonafide European giant has always been up for debate. They have frequently been ranked lower than other top English clubs.
This mixed position in the rankings means that Spurs have also often fallen victim to the occasional mauling at the hands of bigger teams. They might dominate most opponents, but the Lilywhites are yet to earn a consistent seat among Europe's biggest.
More commonly, Spurs have found themselves being favored opponents of world class players who have put out quality performances against the Lilywhites. The club have often fallen victim to the trickery of some magicians of the ball and have often been the platform to showcase their wizadry.
These footballers induce fear in the hearts of Spurs faithful. So without further ado, we will list our top five players who made it a habit of tormenting the Lilywhites over the years
Honorable mentions
Players like Manchester United legend Denis Law and Newcastle United legend Peter Beardsley performed brilliantly against Tottenham Hotspur. However, both of them played the bulk of their careers before the Premier League was founded in 1992. Law scored 14 goals in 20 games, while Beardsley scored 13 goals in 28 appearances, both against Spurs.
Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs would have made this list purely on the sheer number of games they played against Tottenham Hotspur. However, they will have to make do with honorable mentions due to the number of tormentors Tottenham Hotspur have faced over the years.
Lampard managed a remarkable 41 appearances against Spurs, scoring ten goals and assisting seven. Giggs has the same number of goals and assists against Tottenham, having clashed with the side 42 times.
#5 Jamie Vardy | Leicester City
The main consolation Spurs have had while facing Jamie Vardy is that they have only lost four times to Leicester City. On an individual level, however, Vardy has been ruthless in front of goal against Tottenham Hotspur. scoring eight goals in 15 clashes. The star has also managed five assists in those games, bringing his total goal contribution (strikes and assists) to 13 in 15 games.
Having scored two braces against Spurs over the last five years, there is good reason for Tottenham fans to be wary when facing Leicester. They might win the game, but a clean sheet is nearly impossible to get when Vardy is playing.
Tottenham Hotspur have picked up just two clean sheets in those 13 games where Vardy faced them.
#4 Les Ferdinand | Premier League legend
The clinical striker retired in 2006. Before that, Les Ferdinand scored against Tottenham while playing for QPR, Newcastle, West Ham, Leicester City, and Bolton. It hardly mattered that Ferdinand was formerly a Tottenham Hotspur player himself.
The former star enjoyed a ruthless period in front of goal against Tottenham, scoring a stunning 11 goals in 13 games across competitions. Only Everton sits above Tottenham in the highest number of goals Ferdinand scored against a single team.
Ferdinand has lost only three times against Tottenham. It almost didn't matter what team he was playing for, the star consistently tormented the north London club with goals and assists.
His best record against Spurs came while the legend played for Newcastle: five goals and one assist in just four games. One of those games included a 7-1 win where Ferdinand scored a brace.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United
While Ronaldo is a ruthless goalscorer against most clubs, the Tottenham faithful will be happy that he didn't spend most of his career at Manchester United. While at La Liga, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning 27 goals against Sevilla in just 18 games. Against Spurs, however, the legendary striker has scored 11 goals and assisted six more in just 19 games.
It doesn't help that Ronaldo is back at United where he can torment the north London side once more. In their most recent meeting late last year, Ronaldo guided the Red Devils to a 3-0 win against Spurs with a goal and an assist to boot. His goalscoring record against Tottenham Hotspur in the UCL was perfect: Ronaldo scored a goal in every single clash between Real Madrid and Spurs.
#2 Sergio Aguero | Manchester City legend
Although he moved to Barcelona and recently retired, Sergio Aguero's heroics for Manchester City gave him legendary status at the Etihad Stadium. In more recent EPL games facing Spurs spanning from 2015, Aguero scored just one goal against the club. Yet, his ruthlessness in front of goal from previous years won't easily be forgotten by the Tottenham Hotspur faithful.
Between 2011 to 2015, Aguero stunned Spurs with ten goals and one assist in just seven games. Two particular games will stand out in Spurs' memory.
One would be City's 6-0 routing of the north London side in 2013 when Aguero scored a brace.
The other major occasion was Aguero's four goals against Tottenham Hotspur in 2014. City won the match 4-0.
He may have slowed down against Tottenham over the years, but his clinical marksmanship can hardly be forgotten.
Overall, he has 12 goals and four assists in 18 matches against Tottenham.
#1 Alan Shearer | Newcastle United legend
Alan Shearer played for Southampton prior to the start of the Premier League and he scored just once against Tottenham in that period. However, in the EPL, Shearer was absolutely ruthless against the north London side, scoring 19 goals and assisting seven more in just 34 games.
Although he is legendary for his time at Newcastle United, Shearer's stint as a Blackburn striker was too much for Tottenham to handle.
The PL legend managed seven goals in seven league games against Spurs while with Blackburn, scoring a goal in nearly every match. While the EPL saw Shearer score just five goals in 15 games against Spurs, Newcastle were unstoppable when facing Tottenham in the FA Cup.
The Magpies never lost a cup game to the Spurs when Shearer played, and the legendary attacker managed four goals in four FA Cup games.
