Paul (Gazza) Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne joined his hometown club, Newcastle United as an apprentice in 1983, making his Football League debut for them as a substitute against QPR at St James' Park in 1985. He went on to make 99 League and Cup appearances for them from 1985-88, scoring 25 goals. This prompts the then Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables to pay Newcastle £2m for his services on 18th July 1988. On Sept. 3 that same year, he makes his Spurs debut at Newcastle in a 2-2 draw.Then on 14th September, he makes his England debut in the final 5 minutes against Denmark at Wembley - England win 1-0. Ironically, Bobby Robson was the manager of Ipswich Town when the club turned down a 14-year-old Gazza after an unsuccessful trial, and here he was now, giving him his first taste of international football. On the 26th April 1989, he scores his first goal for England after coming on as a substitute in a 5-0 World Cup win over Albania at Wembley. After a series of fine performances in various friendlies & World Cup qualifiers, Bobby Robson decides to take what the press call a 'gamble' on the brilliant 23 year-old midfielder who Robson himself affectionately labels 'daft as a brush'.
He plays a starring role in England's midfield at the Italia 90 World Cup finals as England get through to the semi-finals, only to lose out on a place in the final to the then West Germany on penalties. Gazza's tears in that game - in response to a booking following a blatant Thomas Berthold dive which would have meant he would have missed out on an appearance in the final had England got through - brought him instant worldwide fame, but it was for his outstanding performances on the pitch which he gained most of the plaudits. One game in particular being the semi-final against West Germany, where he famously out-played the man universally regarded as the best all-round midfielder at the time - West German captain Lothar Mattheus.
On returning from his World Cup exploits, Gazza could do no wrong. Advertising agencies queued up for his endorsements; he made a guest appearance on Wogan, & even made a pop song with northeast group 'Lyndasfarne'- a cover of their old hit:'Fog On The Tyne'. In the season that followed, he lit up every game he played in with his skill & vision, and almost single-handedly guided Spurs to the F.A. Cup Final against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest. One memorable performance that season, was the semi-final against Arsenal at Wembley, where he scored a fantastic 30 yard free-kick, & was involved in setting up one of Gary Lineker's two goals.
In the final itself in 1991, Gazza is clearly hyped-up by the occasion, & makes an horrendous challenge on Forest's Garry Parker, forcing his right boot, high into Parker's chest. The referee for the final was the now retired Roger Milford, a real favourite among fans and players alike, because of his shrewd judgement, and willingness to apply common sense in high-pressure games such as this. Milford shows great leniency towards Gazza, and decides not to book him, a decision, which later proved to be a bad one, as he did not calm down.
Worse was to come when he made an even more horrific challenge on Forest's Gary Charles, and in doing so, he ruptures the cruciate ligaments in his right knee, and is taken to hospital in an ambulance, sparking fears that an impending £5.5m transfer to Italian Serie A side Lazio of Rome, would now collapse. There is some cheer for Gazza however, as Spurs go on to lift the famous old trophy after beating Forest 2-1
Gazza is out of football recovering from his knee injury for 16 months during which time he undergoes three operations to repair the damage. More bad luck was to follow however, when in October 1991, he damages his right knee again in a nightclub incident, when a drunken clubber with a point to prove singled him out - this delayed his recovery still further. He knuckles down & trains hard during his recovery period, and in May 1992, he finally passes fitness tests set by Lazio specialists on his knee and completes his long-awaited £5.5m move from Spurs to Lazio.
Gazza makes his debut for Lazio against Genoa in Rome, in September 1992. His career in Italy is spasmodic, and he never really got his game going during his time out there. In December 1993 he reports back to Rome after a Christmas break, with a thigh strain suffered getting out of bed. In April 1994 he breaks a leg in a freak training ground accident, going in for a tackle during a practice match, which again puts him out of the game - this time for a year.
On June 3 1995, he makes his first England appearance for 15 months as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over Japan at Wembley. He then flies to Glasgow after the match and announces he is joining Walter Smith's all-conquering Glasgow Rangers
In June 1996, he plays a starring role in England's run to the semi-finals of Euro 96 - scoring a breathtaking solo goal against Scotland along the way
In 1997 he returns from injury to guide Rangers to a record-equalling ninth League title, & is welcomed back into the England fold. In July, he signs a new three-year deal with Rangers to tie him to the club until year 2000.
Then, in March 1998, Rangers agree to sell him to Crystal Palace for an initial fee of £3m. He decides to turn down Crystal Palace's offer, in favour of a move to old friend Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough - who are chasing promotion back to the Premier League - for £3m. He struggles to regain his fitness, but still helps his new club achieve their goal.
With promotion now realised, Gazza now has to turn his attention to impressing England coach Glenn Hoddle, in order to make his World Cup squad for France '98. Gazza doesn't impress in the games he plays in, & when he is discovered to have been drinking on the evening prior to Hoddle announcing his final squad, Glenn Hoddle chooses not to take him to the World Cup finals
When Middlesbrough boss Bryan Robson finally decided to throw sentiment out of the window after Gazza's disappointing time at the club, he releases him on a free transfer with a year of his contract still to run, his former Rangers boss & close friend Walter Smith - now manager with Everton - decided to take what even Gazza himself described as a gamble on the 32 yr old former England star.
Gazza turned in a string of impressive performances, & made even some sections of the press start to talk about a possible return to the national team - then managed by former Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan.
After fighting his way into a regular place in the Everton starting line-up, Gazza picked up yet another freak injury. After being in and out of the Everton first team during the early part of 2002, Paul Gascoigne added yet another chapter to his topsy-turvy career on Saturday March 16th 2002, by joining First Division Burnley until the end of the season. After just four appearances for Burnley, the rumour mill was back in full swing when on April 8th, one national newspaper claimed that Gazza had walked out on the Turf Moor club.
Then just when it seemed as though Gazza was running out of options, Chinese B-league side Gansu Tianma offered him the opportunity to have trials with the club, with a view to a permanent contract. Gazza took them up on the offer, but failed to impress the club's officials with his first sessions. Then upon getting a further chance to impress, Gazza did just that, and as a result secured a one year deal with the club in January 2003
After a short stay in China, proposed moves to Wolves, and Sheffield Wednesday fell through
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