Although eventually and justifiably regarded as one of the world's foremost strikers, Gary made a rather stumbling start to his first-team career with City, who initially struggled to harness the youngster's remarkable pace to a coherent tactical role. Indeed, Gary was quite often played wide in his early days, until his alert goal-poaching habit began truly to blossom during 1981/82.

There were still distinct gaps in his footballing repertoire when City fought their way back to Division One in 1983, but Gary gradually refined his ball-holding and control skills while leading the Filbert Street scoring list for four seasons running on quick-witted predatory instinct, and became an inevitable England choice up front despite City's lowly status in the top flight.

Equally inevitable, perhaps, was a move; and it was to reigning champions Everton that Gary went in return for an £800,000 cheque. Thirty League goals, ten more in Cup competitions (including one at Wembley in the FA Cup Final), and both versions of the Footballer of the Year award made up Gary's individual tally from his Goodison season.

Gary's value escalated dramatically again, however, following his summer exploits in the 1986 World Cup, when his hat-trick against Poland made him a national hero and his total of six goals won him the competition's Golden Boot award as top scorer. Terry Venables' Barcelona laid out some £2,750,000 in pesetas for Gary's now globally famous talent, with City benefiting from a negotiated percentage of Everton's profit (amounting to £250,000), and the quicksilver striker maintained his fine scoring record at both club and international level. Gary then picked up his first-ever winner's medal from the 1988 Spanish Cup Final.

The 1990 World Cup saw him claim another 4 goals as England's campaign reached a semi-final penalty shoot-out before derailing, and Gary picked up the individual FIFA Fair Play award. He earned an FA Cup winner's medal with Spurs in 1991, despite missing a penalty against Nottingham Forest; and eventually another missed spot-kick (against Brazil) proved crucial in leaving his international tally at 48 - one short of Bobby Charlton's England record - when Graham Taylor controversially closed his occasional captain's representative career in 1992 by the FWA, by which time he had announced his intention to move to Japan to assist in the 1993 launch of the J-League.

Gary announced his retirement from the game in November 1994 and went on to become a popular newspaper columnist, radio presenter and 'Match of the Day' pundit and presenter (plus a familiar face from TV advertisements). He returned to the Filbert Street pitch for the last time to feature briefly in Gordon Banks' benefit game in April 1995, on the day before he was honoured as a Freeman of the City of Leicester. He most recently showed his commitment to the club when heading the consortum which bought City out of administration and his long-running connection with the Foxes was honoured by the north stand at City's Walkers Stadium being named after him when he officially opened the new ground in July 2002.