Gary Mabbutt

Second in all-time appearance list with 611, 1982-1998
Captain for 11 years, lifted FA Cup at Wembley in 1991
UEFA Cup winner in 1984
Club Ambassador

A model professional in the modern era, Gary Mabbutt played 611 games for Spurs in 16 years, placing him second only to the great Steve Perryman in our all-time appearance list and captained the team to FA Cup glory in 1991.

Numbers alone don't tell the whole story though. Gary battled throughout his career against the affects of diabetes and managed to overcome a serious facial injury in 1993 and a broken leg that ruled him out of the 1996-97 season.

Signed for £105,000 from Bristol Rovers in August 1982 on the recommendation of Bill Nicholson, ‘Mabbsy’ showed his versatility by starting his Spurs career in midfield before finally settling in at centre-half.

Spurs TV special - FA Cup, 91

Gary soon tasted glory in the 1984 UEFA Cup triumph before forming one of the best central defensive partnerships seen at the Lane with Richard Gough in the 1986-87 season which saw us finish third in the league, reach the semi-finals of the League Cup and, unfortunately for him, see his own goal help Coventry City to victory on the 1987 FA Cup Final.

Now captain, Gary fulfilled every schoolboy’s dream when he led the team out at Wembley for the 1991 FA Cup Final and collected the trophy from Princess Diana following the 2-1 win against Forest.

Capped 16 times by England, including key Euro 1992 qualifiers against Turkey and Poland, Gary recovered from the serious facial injury and broken leg to continue until the end of the 1997-98 campaign, when he left the club and soon announced his retirement.

Awarded the MBE in 1994, Gary is as popular as ever in his role as Club Ambassador as well as being an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust and Patron of Diabetes UK. He was also an Ambassador for the successful South Africa 2010 World Cup bid.