Tottenham legend Gary Mabbutt says it does not bother players to lose a star team-mate… as the ex-Spurs defender insists his old club ‘still have options’ following Harry Kane’s departure
- Spurs legend Gary Mabbutt says players are not bothered if a team-mate leaves
- Mabbutt played 611 games for Spurs, captaining them to FA Cup glory in 1991
- WATCH: It’s All Coming Up – Mail Sport’s preview show for the weekend’s football
While Harry Kane got a good night’s sleep before Sunday’s home debut for Bayern Munich, another Tottenham legend was up at 3am to have one of the seven daily injections he needs to maintain a normal life.
Gary Mabbutt, Spurs captain for 11 years and still involved with the club into a fifth decade, is a byword for overcoming adversity.
Diagnosed with diabetes as a youngster, he defied specialists who considered his football career over to become one of the game’s great influencers.
During his playing days at Tottenham between 1982 and 1998 he saw great players such as Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker leave White Hart Lane.
Yet every time the prophets of doom circled, exciting new players would end up making their own headlines; from Jurgen Klinsmann and David Ginola to Gareth Bale and Kane in more recent times.
Tottenham legend Gary Mabbutt believes it doesn’t bother footballers to lose a star teammate
Former Spurs striker Harry Kane will make his home debut for Bayern Munich on Sunday
During his time at the club, Mabbutt (left) saw some great players including Paul Gascoigne (right) and Gary Lineker leave Tottenham
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So while there was consternation in Britain at seeing the England captain head to the Bundesliga, Mabbutt insists the Spurs dressing room would barely have batted an eyelid.
‘The game is littered with superstars leaving their club and others carrying on,’ says Mabbutt. ‘It is very rare that one player leaves and the club collapses. Players are stoical. You get new managers, new players, you deal with what is front of you.
‘I joined Bristol Rovers as an apprentice in 1977 and it was ingrained in me immediately that outside noise is irrelevant. In 1992 I roomed with Links [Lineker]. I knew he was going — the offer from Japan was phenomenal. The club also needed the money for Gazza. But life went on.’
Mabbutt played 611 games for Spurs, captaining them to the 1991 FA Cup when he needed an extra injection at half-time to control his blood sugar levels.
Watching the team has not been easy since Mauricio Pochettino left. Mabbutt has also listened to fans, chatting to more than 10,000 elderly season ticket holders over the last three years in a scheme set up initially to help them cope with the isolation of Covid.
‘Turbulent,’ is how he describes the club’s recent history, which is painful for the grammar school boy from Bristol who felt Spurs were part of his family from the moment he arrived a fortnight before his 21st birthday.
‘When I first went through the iron gates it was where I wanted to be. It sounds cheesy but I felt totally comfortable. Why? I have no idea,’ he says.
‘The manager Keith Burkinshaw told me it would take a couple of years to get an opportunity. We got injuries on a pre-season tour. I played the second game in midfield and stayed in the team for 16 years.
‘I trained with Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Steve Perryman, Ricky Villa and Steve Archibald, legends I’d only seen on TV. But I seemed to take it in my stride.’
Mabbutt (right) played for Tottenham between 1982 and 1998 captaining the side for 11 years while also leading them to FA Cup glory in 1991
Every day Mabbutt spends an hour calling supporters to have a personal chat on their birthday or wedding anniversary. The eldest was a lady of 106, who had supported the club for 100 years, and the most comical was a recipient convinced it was a prank.
‘Let me talk for a bit and you’ll hear my West Country tones,’ said the ex-player. ‘You sound nothing like Gary Mabbutt,’ said the fan.
The football part of the chat has not always been fun over the last couple of years. ‘The hardest period was last season,’ admits Mabbutt. ‘A lot of people were disappointed with Antonio Conte. There was no light.
‘The chairman had brought in two of the biggest serial winners in Jose Mourinho and Conte but they didn’t step up to the mark. All the talk about Kane was part of it as well. In the end, the Bayern deal suited everyone. The chairman didn’t lose him to a competitor like Manchester United.
‘There has been a big change since Ange Postecoglou arrived. He has an attack-minded philosophy. The Spurs DNA is on its way back. I can detect the fans smiling when I hear their voices.’
Mabbutt admitted that despite losing Kane (pictured), Tottenham ‘still have options’
Mabbutt believed that Spurs’ new striker Alejo Veliz (pictured) shows ‘great promise’
He added that this was ‘Richarlison’s (pictured) time to become a hero’ while claiming that Tottenham will make more signings before the window closes
Mabbutt’s enthusiasm at 62 is even more impressive considering his daily routine. Besides the jabs, increased from four a day as a player, he has had a major op to unclog his arteries.
It has not slowed him down. He has worked for many years with the Prince’s Trust and Diabetes UK. He regularly meets Tottenham’s sponsors, has his own company making water-free cleaning products, is patron of the Spurs women’s team and sits on FA disciplinary panels. And, of course, has that communication with fans.
Though Kane will receive a mighty welcome from Bayern fans in the Olympic Stadium against Augsburg on Sunday, Mabbutt will not be surprised to see him back in a Spurs shirt one day. ‘He loves the club and Daniel [Levy] thanked him for the great things he’s done.’
In the meantime, he is convinced Spurs can flourish without him.
‘When a player like Harry goes, there are options. We’ve signed a young Argentine, Alejo Veliz. He has great promise,’ says Mabbutt.
‘This is Richarlison’s chance to be a hero. And we’ll bring in someone before the window closes Harry was exemplary but Ange has a different style to what he played under for the last couple of seasons.’
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