Gary Mabbutt

Football player infobox
playername = Gary Mabbutt


fullname = Gary Mabbutt
nickname =
height = 5'10"
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1961|8|23|df=y
cityofbirth = Bristol
countryofbirth = England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1979–1982
1982–1998
clubs = Bristol Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur
caps(goals) = 131 (10)
482 (27)
nationalyears = 1982–1992
1982–1986
1984–1992
nationalteam = England
England U21
England B
nationalcaps(goals) = 016 0(1)
007 0(2)
009 0(1)

Gary Mabbutt MBE (born 23 August 1961 in Bristol) is an English former professional football player. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield. His father is Ray Mabbutt.

He his best remembered for his 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998.

In 1991, he appeared in a Comic Relief Special as a special one-time-only member of "Scouts in Skirts", playing drums, under the name 'Salty Leonard'.

He became one of the best known defenders in English football in the 1980s, playing initially for Bristol Rovers before joining the first division club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became captain and won 16 caps for England, and scored one goal for England against Yugoslavia in 1986.

Mabbutt also has diabetes, and became an icon for many children with the condition. He famously appeared on the BBC's children's television programme "Blue Peter" where he demonstrated injecting insulin into an orange to show how he dealt with his condition on a daily basis.

Another CBBC appearance came in the drama series "The Queen's Nose", an adaptation of the book by Dick King-Smith. Mabbutt appeared in a cameo as himself, appearing in the nick of time to help save a children's football team from defeat.

With Spurs, he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and the FA Cup in 1991.

He suffered a broken leg on the opening day of the 1996-97 season and did not return until the following campaign, after which he retired from playing after 16 years at White Hart Lane. By this stage, he was the club's longest-serving player.

He remains famous in Coventry where the unofficial Coventry City fanzine is named "Gary Mabbutt's Knee", following his own goal which gave them victory in the 1987 FA Cup Final.

Honours

As a player

Tottenham Hotspur
* UEFA Cup winner 1984
* FA Cup winner 1991

External links

* [http://www.gmkonline.com Gary Mabbutt's Knee]