Background
His father is Ray Mabbutt and brother Kevin Mabbutt. Mabbutt was born in Bristol.
His father is Ray Mabbutt and brother Kevin Mabbutt. Mabbutt was born in Bristol.
He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield. He is best remembered for his 16-year spell at, where he played from 1982 until 1998, he was the club captain for 11 years from 1987 to 1998 This incident lead to him being held as something of a folk hero at Coventry City, with a fanzine being named "Gary Mabbutt"s Knee". Retirement from the club He suffered a broken leg on the opening day of the 1996-1997 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 2nd longest-serving player.
His final appearance for the club came against Southampton on the last day of the 1997-1998 season. Mabbutt has type 1 diabetes, and became an icon for many children with the condition.
He famously appeared on the British Broadcasting Corporation"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. In 2013, Mabbutt had surgery to save his left leg, following a bout of peripheral arterial disease, brought on by his diabetes.
Following the surgery, he can no longer run or kick a ball.
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. He served as an ambassador for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
He is also working with the Deloitte Street Child World Cup, training and encouraging street children and ex-street children in football and for street children"s rights in Durban, South Africa.
This is run by the Amos Trust. He is currently an Ambassador for Football Club and the English Football Association, an Ambassador for the Prince"s Trust and Patron of Diabetes United Kingdom.