Hoddle came through the academy at Tottenham Hotspur in 1975, after overcoming a succession of knee injuries in his teens. He made his debut for the club as a 17 year old, before making his first division debut 5 months later, announcing himself on the big stage with a stunning strike and winning goal against Stoke City.
Hoddle helped the club bounce back to the top division right away, after they fell to division two in the 1976-77 season. He would begin to emerge as a key player for Spurs and by 1979 was proving her was one of the finest young talents in the game, prompting his international debut in 1979 - the first of 53 England caps, where he would score 8 goals.
He was 22 years old when he won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1980, after scoring 19 goals. In the seasons that followed he would shine as Spurs won the FA Cup in 1981 and again in 1982. He would also help the club to a fourth place finish, their highest positioning for over a decade. After 12 years as Spurs' midfield maverick, Hoddle moved to AS Monaco for a £750k fee in 1987. He would spend 4 years at the club, after being signed by future Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. He would later have spells at Swindon Town and Chelsea where he was player/manager.
After helping Chelsea to the FA Cup final, a Cup Winners' Cup place and an FA Cup semi-final, as well as bringing in top players such as Ruud Gullit, the FA had seen enough to give him a shot at the England job. At both Chelsea and England he would prove himself a master tactician, dedicated to putting his own imprint on a team. Today, Glenn Hoddle continues to run the famed Glenn Hoddle Academy, as well as feature prominently as a pundit for football coverage at the world's biggest events. As an after dinner speaker, there are few as intriguing, entertaining and enjoyable as him.
