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His last act for relegated Brighton & Hove Albion was to win the man of the match award in the 1983 FA Cup final, earning him a lucrative move to Tottenham Hotspur and a place in the England squad within a year. Gary Stevens was primarily a central defender, but his sharp tackling, vision and pace meant he could also operate at full back and in midfield, and so he became a useful utility man, able to step into most breaches, whom Bobby Robson found most amenable after giving him his first cap at the end of 1984 in a 5-0 thumping of Finland in a World Cup qualifier.
As a jack of all trades, Stevens couldn't hold down a regular place but featured in all squads as England made the finals in Mexico without losing a match, during which time Gary made his only international start - as a holding midfielder - as England beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in Belfast. He was picked for the World Cup squad and came on as a sub in the group win over Poland (during which time the England fans sang "There's only two Gary Stevens!" due to the regular presence of the Everton right back in the side) and then the second round triumph against Paraguay - in which he can be seen in the photo above setting set up Gary Lineker's second goal in the 3-0 rout - but some appalling luck with injuries upon his return to Tottenham rendered him unable to recapture his place at club or international level, and one infamous tackle by Vinny Jones in 1988 proved crucial in bringing his career to a sadly premature end. (Matthew Rudd)
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