This is a tale that started in tears, carries on with tears, and barring a resumption of the age of miracles, will end in tears. Paul John Gascoigne’s tumultuous life has been tinged with unhappiness and misfortune since his humble beginnings in Newcastle when his demons first surfaced and football became his only refuge. His incredible skills would lift him to stardom, but he’ll be remembered as much for his outrageous antics as his astounding midfield play.
Gascoigne is possibly the most naturally gifted player English football has ever produced and undeniably one of its greatest personalities on and off the pitch. In the wake of his outstanding performances in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Gazza-mania swept the United Kingdom and he reached number two in the UK Top 40 with his song ‘Fog on the Tyne’. Few English footballers have become as recognizable and as loved as Paul Gascoigne and he was memorably branded “daft as a brush” by then England manager Sir Bobby Robson.
On the pitch, Gascoigne was a revelation. Despite his size, he commanded the deftest of touches, the ability to run at defenders, an inch-perfect pass, and a flair for the unpredictable. He also possessed a cheeky sense of humour that could occasionally get him into trouble with officials – such as the time he booked a referee who had dropped his yellow card on the pitch! Throughout his career with Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Glasgow Rangers, Middlesbrough, and Everton, Gascoigne was the ultimate performer and exuded a simple love of the game.
Some of Gascoigne’s greatest moments were in the shirt of England for whom he played 57 times, scoring 10 goals. He steered England through to the semi-finals of both the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96, losing penalty shoot-outs to Germany on both occasions. In the 1990 match, Gazza was booked, meaning he would miss the final if England went through. His subsequent tears became an iconic image of the ultimate, passionate sportsman. Pundits agree that, in terms of talent, Gascoigne wasn’t just any ordinary player. He was famous because he was the most talented British player since George Best. No British player who has emerged since, with the possible exception of Wayne Rooney, has possessed the ability he did. But most believe he never fulfilled his potential in a career plagued by problems linked to heavy drinking.
At first, his lager-fuelled antics in bars and clubs across Europe were regarded by many as overblown enthusiasm. Even during his stint at Lazio, he succeeded in outraging the whole of Italy by belching on national television.
However, Gascoigne’s clown image disguised serious personal problems which eventually led to his exclusion from the England World Cup squad in 1998. He even was spotted eating kebabs with radio and television personalities Chris Evans and Danny Baker the day before selection for the World Cup squad was to be made. He proceeded to smash up the manager’s hotel room to bits when given the news. On another occasion, when Gascoigne was not picked for a team, he squirted tomato ketchup all over one of his teammates and then ran to his room to cry. He was like a toddler trapped inside in a grown man’s body.
The hangers-on and backslappers had drifted away and Paul Gascoigne was suddenly very alone. He was always a man who used football as a sanctuary from the problems that tormented him in his personal life. And now that football and his celebrity friends have left him behind, Gascoigne’s escape route has been cut off. It is not that the game has deserted him. It is that alcoholism appears to have a stronger hold over him. And now, he has become the latest example of a famous sportsman struggling to adapt to life after the applause has died away. Alcohol problems and depression have dogged his attempts at management and he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a photographer on the day he was sacked from one job, although the charges were later dropped.
In January 2005, he was hospitalized with pneumonia, sparking fears over his long-term health. Trouble struck again in December 2005. Gascoigne was arrested for an alleged assault after photographers scrambled to take his picture outside a hotel in Liverpool , just hours after he left as manager of Kettering FC. Gascoigne’s 39-day reign at Kettering ended in acrimony, with chairman Imran Ladak claiming the former England midfielder was “under the influence of alcohol before, during and after several first-team games and training sessions.” Another alleged incident with a photographer a year later saw Gascoigne in the news again.
In February 2007, Gascoigne underwent emergency surgery for a punctured stomach ulcer after apparently being taken ill as he was celebrating his 40th birthday with family and friends in his home town of Newcastle . The following year in 2008, Gascoigne hit rock bottom when he was taking cocaine and drinking a litre of gin per day. This lead to the former England international being sectioned under the Mental Health Act three times by courts. At one time, Gascoigne had been detained for a series of bizarre incidents at a city hotel. He was picked up by police following a disturbance. It followed claims he was almost permanently drunk, set off a fire alarm, spent hours gambling with staff and wandered around clutching plastic, battery-operated parrots. There were also reports he would order raw liver from room service and answer his door stark naked.
Subsequently in 2009, a documentary released about Paul Gascoigne, includes footage of his 12 year old son cruelly telling television cameras, “I don’t think there’s any point in helping him,” and that “he’s probably going to die soon.” These are not simple words to hear from a child to a father. Remember, this year alone, Paul Gascoigne has already been arrested three different times. In other words, Gascoigne seems to be arrested at least once or twice a year for almost the last seven or eight years straight.
Is he beyond salvation? That depends on who you listen to. Many senior figures in the game have compared Gascoigne’s footballing retirement to that of George Best and voiced regret that more had not been done to save him from his own demons. Genius is close to madness, and whether you believe a game’s player can touch genius or not, Gascoigne has come as close as any.
The reality is that there are many people who prove themselves inadequate to the demands of coping with the world, who really cannot take care of themselves, who really never do get the hang of grown-up life. Each of these people have their own tragedies, leaving trails of victims. But few of this type started with so much talent or gave and received so much joy. This tragic story comes down to what Gascoigne wants for himself. No one can force this once great footballer to do what he doesn’t want to. But I believe he genuinely wants to be involved in football in some capacity; it’s what he loves and what he knows in life. This one simplistic reason is why I think the English FA needs to step in and help “Gazza” so he doesn’t harm himself any more than he already has.
Paul Gascoigne as a sporting, social, and cultural phenomenon is a fascinating subject, but he is also a man with a huge amount of inner pain. It is a tragedy that such a talented and promising man could fall so far by the wayside, but I would imagine he knows (or knew) that his life could be so much more, and I can’t help but think that only makes things worse for him.
I truly hope he recovers.
