 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Paul Gascoigne
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2002 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Paul Gascoigne, the mercurial midfielder once described as the most famous man in Britain , enthralled football fans with his skill during the World Cup in 1990 – and his tears on the way to defeat left millions of mums reaching for the tissues.
On his return from Italy , his popularity and commercial value soared to such an extent that he licensed his own name. ‘Gazza' was no longer just a footballer. He was now a business trademark.
‘A sensation,' Bobby Robson said. ‘He was the finest young player in the tournament, and he made himself a household name around the world.'
An irrepressible, dynamic footballer who wore his heart on his sleeve, Gascoigne was ‘a brilliant passer of the ball', Robson said. ‘He can also glide past an opponent with the ball as if he's not there.'
The tears were shed in frustration and disappointment on receiving a booking – his second of the tournament – for a mistimed tackle in the semi-final against West Germany . Now, if England reached the final, he'd be suspended.
‘I was devastated at the thought,' he recalled, ‘and the tears just came. I resolved to give my all in whatever time there was left. So I played my heart out.' Gascoigne used his shirt to dry his eyes, creating an abiding image for England fans.
‘You do realise that you'll be playing against the best midfield player in world,' Robson had said beforehand, referring to Lothar Matthaus, the West Germany captain. ‘I replied, “No, Bobby, you've got it wrong. He is,”' Gascoigne wrote later.
From his earliest days as an apprentice at Newcastle United Gascoigne had been marked out for greatness. Jackie Milburn, a past hero at St James' Park, advised Robson: ‘Here's one to look out for.'
After watching him in action for the first time, Robson told Milburn: ‘You're right, Jackie. He's a little gem.'
At the age of 21, Gascoigne left his hometown club to join Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £2.2 million. Two years later, his performance at the World Cup catapulted him onto the world stage, and in 1992 Lazio paid Spurs £5.5 million for his transfer.
The transfer had been delayed for more than a year, during which time Gascoigne recovered from a cruciate ligament injury, sustained in making a reckless tackle in the 1991 FA Cup Final. He watched Spurs win the game from his hospital bed.
On his return to fitness, Graham Taylor, the England manager, said: ‘We've been trying to eke out results without Paul, You find yourself saying, “Don't let anything else go wrong with him”. He's that important to us.'
His value was illustrated in spectacular fashion during the European Championships in 1996. In the group game against Scotland Gascoigne scored ‘the best goal of the last two or three major tournaments', according to Terry Venables, the England manager.
Running onto a pass, Gascoigne committed the defender with a feint, flicked the ball over his opponent's head, skipped round him, and then volleyed the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
He would never again reach such spectacular heights. Gradually, alcohol and injury took their toll on his fitness. Off the field, the pressure of celebrity only added to his psychological problems.
On his retirement, Gascoigne summed up his career this way: ‘I accomplished my dreams,' he said, ‘but not my potential.'