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TL;DR news on Jimmy Greaves at June 14, 2023

For Greaves and others of his generation, we rely much more on our emotions: how did he make us feel? And perhaps this is no bad thing, a welcome escape from the iron cage of data analysis. So Greaves retired and went on holiday to Portugal with his wife, Irene, and children Mitzi, Danny, Andrew and Lynn. But the thing that should, and always will be remembered about Jimmy Greaves is that he was probably the best goalscorer who ever lived. There were some heartbreaking bumps in the road including the tragic loss of their second child and the couple's separation for 18 months at the height of Jimmy's battle with alcohol. At one point, as Jimmy lost himself to the bottle, Irene had to sell her jewellery to keep the family home. During his time at Chelsea and Spurs, Greaves was the First Division top scorer in six separate seasons, an achievement that has never been matched. "It's not easy to build a legacy at a club, Jimmy was an icon, football legend, Spurs have been very lucky to have such a great player as part of their club. The Tottenham statement continued: "Although we had just won the 'Double', there's no question that Jimmy's arrival in N17 made us an even better team. In later life, Greaves endured health problems, including a minor stroke in 1992 from which he recovered. "We've always adored each other, without a doubt," she once said of their relationship following Jimmy's stroke that left him partially incapacitated. They separated in the '70s and reunited 18 months later when Jimmy committed himself to rehab. They were married for only three years when they lost their baby son Jimmy Jr. Former Spurs and England striker Gary Lineker told BBC Sport: "Jimmy had a fabulous contribution to football, an incredible goalscoring record. Players from all six teams wore black armbands for Greaves, who holds the record for most goals in the English top flight with 357. Spurs captain Harry Kane, who is second behind Greaves on the club's scoring list, told Sky Sports before facing Chelsea: "First and foremost our condolences to Jimmy's family and close friends. "Jimmy was an incredible player and goalscorer and a legend for club and country. Giles discussed the times he spent playing against the sensational goalscorer, Greaves' persona on and off the park and his misfortune at the World Cup in 1966. Sustaining a leg injury that required 14 stiches in the final group stage match at the 1966 World Cup, Greaves lost his place to Geoff Hurst. Hurst remembered Greaves on Sunday as "one of the truly great goal scorers" after the beloved striker died at the age of 81. "The finest marksman this country has ever seen," Tottenham said, announcing Greaves died early Sunday. You hear the term genius, and it is the one word which applies to Jimmy." James Peter Greaves was born in east London on February 20, 1940, and signed for Chelsea, aged 17. Greaves was famous for being anonymous during matches before popping up to score a crucial goal. Goffy said that, as well as entertaining audiences, Jimmy would also talk candidly about his battles with alcohol. Greaves, who died at home on Sunday morning aged 81, was described by his old Spurs and England teammate Alan Mullery as "a wonderful, wonderful footballer, the best goalscorer to ever play. There were so many times when Jimmy was well onside but because of his quickness and sharpness he was always beyond the back four and given offside. "Today he would have been untouchable as far as the goal ratio is concerned." Ossie Ardiles, who played for Spurs throughout the 1980s, tweeted: "RIP Jimmy.