Former Tottenham Hotspur and England defender Ledley King has described his training regime at the height of the knee injury which eventually ended his career at the age of just 31.
King was well thought of as one of the most talented Premier League defenders of his generation, especially given the chronic knee injuries he suffered towards the back end of his career, with former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp describing him as a “freak” for being able to perform in the Premier League despite barely training.
Now, in conversation with FourFourTwo, King has gone into detail about how he managed his issues and was still able to play most weekends despite going through the pain he was suffering with from the second half of his twenties onwards.
“At 25, I started to miss the odd day’s training due to knee problems,” King said. “At 26, I had a major operation and my knee never felt the same.
“From 26 to 31 was five years of not training: literally playing a match, my knee swelling up, me getting the swelling down all week in the gym’s swimming pool – sometimes doing light training the day before a match, but sometimes not even that – then playing the game at the weekend and around we go again.
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“That was me for five years. Halfway through my last campaign [2011/12], I took a whack to the knee and really struggled.
“For the first time, I felt that I wasn’t helping the team. I sat down with my surgeon at the end of the season and we decided it was time. My knee’s OK now, but my hip’s knackered! It’s all part and parcel of it.
“I was with my old mates the other day and we played a little game – it was the first time I’d played in 10 years and I did 30 minutes – and all of us have got aches and bumps, carrying things around with us. But we love it and wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Despite his injuries, King had a successful career, playing regularly at the top level for Tottenham and making over 20 senior appearances for England, representing his country at Euro 2004 and again at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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