Tottenham Hotspur's top 5 academy graduates

#2 Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell was a fan favourite at Tottenham before his controversial move to Arsenal

Few players are as despised by the fans at Tottenham than Sol Campbell; a sad state of affairs indeed when you consider that he was a graduate of their academy and in terms of trophies won, is by far the most successful Spurs youth product of the Premier League era.

In his prime, the central defender was not only one of the best in his position in England; he was arguably the very best defender in the world.

Campbell signed with Tottenham’s academy at the age of 15 after leaving West Ham, and made his first team debut with the side in December 1992, scoring his first Spurs goal in the process in a loss to Chelsea.

From there he was able to grow as a player and by the mid-1990s, he’d established himself as Tottenham’s most valuable defender and was also a key part of the England senior side, too.

After starring for England in the 1998 World Cup, the defender then captained Tottenham to an EFL Cup victory in the 1998-99 season, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

However, he’d begun to become disillusioned with his situation at Spurs, and in the summer of 2001 – after allowing his contract to expire – he made the move across North London to Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal, becoming persona non grata with Spurs fans in the process.

Campbell went onto huge success with Arsenal – winning the Premier League title on two occasions, the FA Cup twice, and playing in the Champions League in 2006 – but remains known as ‘Judas’ by the majority of Tottenham fans, even a decade on from his retirement.

Still, his amazing skill as a defender would make even the most hardened Spurs fan begrudgingly admit his greatness.