With style and skill, Jimmy Greaves was one of the best ever goalscorers

English football lost one of the greats at the weekend. Will anyone ever surpass the Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham striker’s top-flight record of 357 goals, asks Ben Burrows

Tributes were paid to Jimmy Greaves after Tottenham confirmed the goalscoring great had died on Sunday morning (PA)

For those who saw him play, he was simply the best. The great Jimmy Greaves passed away over the weekend aged 81, and the whole of the footballing world came together to pay tribute to one of the finest players of his or any generation.

Blessed with brilliant close control, balance and quickness – both of foot and mind – Greaves was a player far beyond his years and one surely who would’ve flourished in the modern game, having done so so successfully in the far less player-friendly conditions of his era.

Regardless of his other gifts, of which there were many, it was his goal scoring that set Greaves apart.