Ledley King has revealed that the beginning of his injury nightmare came 13 years ago, during his Tottenham Hotspur debut.
The central defender was forced to retire last week after suffering with a chronic knee injury that has disrupted his career in recent seasons.
However, King has admitted that he has carried the injury throughout his time at Spurs ever since his debut against Derby County in 1999 and claims that he could have been a far better player had he been fully fit.
The 31-year-old told The Sun: "It's amazing that I played as long as I did really when I think back to that game at Pride Park.
"It was my first start for Spurs, I was playing in midfield and after about 30 seconds I was clattered by Rory Delap.
"You could say that was the start of the end and it was only four days after my 19th birthday.
"There is a lot of disappointment though because I know it could have been different."
King has been given a role as a club ambassador by Spurs following his retirement.
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