Jimmy Greaves
A goal-poaching genius with an uncanny instinct for the net, whose scoring records in English football may never be broken.
1940–2021 (age 81)·English footballer·Birthday: February 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Jimmy Greaves was football's natural predator. His career was a relentless parade of goals, marked not by thunderous strikes but by a thief's anticipation and a surgeon's precision in the six-yard box. Beginning at Chelsea, where he shattered scoring records as a teenager, he had a brief, unhappy stint at AC Milan before finding his spiritual home at Tottenham Hotspur. There, his partnership with Bobby Smith fueled the club's legendary double-winning team of 1961. A cruel twist of fate saw him lose his England place to Geoff Hurst just before the 1966 World Cup final, a moment that haunted him despite the squad's triumph. Post-retirement, he battled alcoholism with characteristic honesty before reinventing himself as the wry, beloved co-host of 'Saint and Greavsie,' a Saturday lunchtime television institution. His legacy is the sheer, unadorned volume of goals—a pure expression of scoring talent.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Jimmy was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jimmy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Jimmy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 80
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2021Died at 81
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Scored 357 goals in the English top division, the highest total in the history of the competition.
- Finished as the First Division's top scorer in six separate seasons, more than any other player.
- Scored 44 goals in 57 appearances for England, including a record six international hat-tricks.
- Won the FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspur in 1962 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
Did You Know?
He scored on his debut for every club he played for: Chelsea, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United.
The popular football chant 'It's a funny old game' is derived from his frequent television catchphrase.
After retiring, he ran a window-cleaning and pub business before returning to the public eye in broadcasting.
“It's a funny old game.”
