Gary Vincent Mabbutt (born 23 August 1961) is an English former footballer who made more than 750 professional appearances, first playing for Bristol Rovers and going on to play 619 games for Tottenham Hotspur, despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 17. During his career he also won 16 caps for the England national team. He mostly played in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield, winning both the 1984 UEFA Cup and 1991 FA Cup. Career Mabbutt is best remembered for his 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998, and was the club captain for 11 years from 1987 to 1998. 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, scoring against Yugoslavia in 1986. He scored on his Tottenham debut in a 2-2 draw with Luton Town at White Hart Lane. With Spurs, he won the UEFA Cup in 1984, and captained them to victory in the 1991 FA Cup Final. In the 1987 FA Cup Final against Coventry City, Mabbutt had an eventful game where he scored Spurs' second goal to put them 2–1 up but, after Coventry had equalised to force extra time, he scored an own goal to give Coventry a 3–2 win. This incident led to him being held as something of a folk hero at Coventry City, with a fanzine being named Gary Mabbutt's Knee. Having sustained a fractured skull and eye socket in November 1993 from Wimbledon striker John Fashanu's elbow in an aerial challenge, an injury after which he became the first player to wear a protective mask on the pitch even after a three-month absence, he suffered a broken leg on the opening day of the 1996–97 season and did not return until the following campaign, at the end of which he retired from playing after 16 years at White Hart Lane. By this stage, he was the club's second longest-serving player. His final appearance for the club came against Southampton on the last day of the 1997–98 season. Personal life Mabbutt was born in Bristol. His father was Ray Mabbutt and his brother is Kevin Mabbutt. He is married to Kathy, and has two daughters, Stephanie (1998) and Tabitha (2003).