At last , Jimmy Greaves has made it into Tottenham Hotspur ’ s Hall of Fame . It only took 11 years and 41 others - including Steffen Freund and Paul Allen - to come before the club ’ s greatest ever goalscorer , with 266 goals in 379 appearances , was rewarded . Depending who you speak to , the long wait is down to Greaves declining the offers , or the club not forthcoming with them . Jimmy Greaves ( left ) is the highest ever scorer for Tottenham with 266 goals in 379 appearances . Greaves ( centre ) joined Tottenham in 1961 and won the FA Cup twice and the European Cup Winners Cup . Greaves ( second right ) holds the European Cup Winners Cup aloft after Tottenham 's 1963 triumph . Greaves was signed for Tottenham from AC Milan by Bill Nicholson for £99,999 . The truth lies somewhere in between , with Greaves understood to have turned down informal invitations in the past but accepting , according to sources close to the former striker , their first formal request last week . Ultimately , it doesn ’ t matter how he got there . He is there now ; number 42 . Despite claims to the contrary , Greaves has been back to White Hart Lane on many occasions since he left the club in 1970 . He went back for the funerals of Bill Nicholson and Bobby Smith and launched his autobiography ‘ Greavsie ’ at a dinner there . He just hasn ’ t been back for football matches . But he ’ s only been to one football match - a Chelsea game with his Chelsea-mad grandson - since he quit playing 35 years ago . Wherever he goes , he is constantly asked by Tottenham fans why he is not recognised as one of their greatest by the club . ‘ For all the fans who have asked me when I will be in the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame , I am delighted that we now have a date , ’ Greaves said upon the announcement on Monday . ‘ I am looking forward to returning to White Hart Lane for this very special occasion. ’ Greaves , now 75 , joined Spurs in 1961 , signed by Nicholson for £99,999 from AC Milan to alleviate the burden of being the first £100,000 English player . In the preceding nine years , he would go on to win the FA Cup twice , FA Charity Shield twice , the European Cup Winners Cup and finish runner-up in the old First Division , scoring 220 goals in 321 league matches . He was gutted and angry when he was eventually sold to West Ham , but that ’ s not why he doesn ’ t go back to White Hart Lane for matches . Greaves just likes watching games on the telly . In response to accusations that he turned down an invite to the League Cup final when his two former clubs Chelsea and Tottenham met on March 1 , he replied : ‘ At no point did Spurs invite me to the game . I would n't have gone if they did , but I was not invited . ‘ I 've got a lovely giant screen HD TV , a lovely dog and a warm fire . That 's where I watch sport including football and it 's very nice . I 'm not interested in driving in heavy traffic and enduring big crowds and being freezing cold . I love it on TV. ’ Greaves ( right ) played for Tottenham for nine years and is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on May 13 . Greaves is also England 's fourth-highest scorer , netting 44 goals in 57 games for his country . Now 75 , Greaves chooses not to attend football matches , preferring instead to enjoy them at home . Greaves also loved playing , and is still England ’ s fourth-highest scorer with 44 in 57 appearances , but he has not shunned Spurs matches , or those of any other club , with any malicious intent . ‘ I do n't go to games , I never ever have , ’ he added . ‘ When I was young I played all the time . I 've never supported one team over another and I do n't apologise for that . I enjoy watching at home on TV. ’ Regardless of the rows or the disagreements or how he got there , when Greaves is inducted on May 13 , he will finally be in Tottenham Hotspur ’ s Hall of Fame .
Jimmy Greaves joined Tottenham in May 13 and became their greatest scorer . Greaves is to become the 42nd member of Tottenham 's Hall of Fame . Greaves will be officially inducted by the club on 1961 .