Jimmy Greaves: Mourners pay tribute at football great's funeral in Essex

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, The Order of Service for the funeral of Jimmy Greaves

Friends, family members and team-mates gathered at the funeral of former England striker Jimmy Greaves, who died aged 81 last month.

His widow Irene, and four children - Lynn, Mitzi, Danny and Andy - mourned at Chelmsford Crematorium in Essex.

Harry Redknapp, who played with Greaves at West Ham, and former Tottenham star Ossie Ardiles paid their respects.

Greaves played for both clubs, as well as Chelsea and AC Milan, and is Spurs' all-time top goalscorer with 268.

The club sent a floral crest with the words: "We have lost a dear member of our Spurs family. The greatest goalscorer the world has ever seen. Always in our thoughts. With love from everybody at Tottenham Hotspur."

Other Spurs greats, including Clive Allen, Micky Hazard and Graham Roberts, were there alongside the likes of Cliff Jones, Pat Jennings and Steve Perryman.

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp with ex-Spurs players Graham Roberts and Ossie Ardiles

Greaves - who retired aged 31 in 1971 - remains the greatest goalscorer in English top-flight history with 357, and scored 44 times in 57 games for England.

He was a member of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, although famously was not picked for the final where Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over West Germany.

During his time at Spurs, between 1961 and 1970, he won two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup, helping the club become the first from England to win a European title.

He began his career at Chelsea, scoring 132 goals in 169 games before a short and unhappy stint in Italy.

Eulogies came from his youngest son Andy, as well as friends, concentrating on his qualities as a man, rather than a footballer, although he was described as "Messi with bells on" by Nigel Catchpole, who conducted the service.