Football star Paul Gascoigne has been detained under the Mental Health Act after a series of bizarre incidents at two Newcastle hotels. The troubled star has fought alcohol problems and depression since the end of his playing career. Despite his struggles, Gazza retains a place in the hearts of football fans and is arguably the finest talent English football has seen in the last 25 years. Hotlist examines the highs and lows of his life.
Paul Gascoigne was born on May 27 1967 in Dunston, Tyne and Wear. Aged ten, he suffered a personal tragedy when he witnessed the death of his friend Steve Spraggon in a car accident. The incident is believed to have triggered the compulsive behaviour that has blighted his adult life.
Gascoigne made his first team debut for Newcastle United on April 13 1985. By the end of the 1987/8 season, he had been named the Barclays Young Player of the Year and transferred to Spurs for a record £2.3 million fee. Under the tutelage of Terry Venables, he began to blossom into a superb midfield player. England manager Bobby Robson gave him his international debut in September 1988.
Global star
Gascoigne was England's best player at the 1990 World Cup. He was the architect of crucial goals against Egypt, Belgium and Cameroon but will be forever remembered for his reaction to his semi-final booking against Germany. Knowing he would be suspended if England reached the final, Gazza’s mood turned from ebullience to devastation. His tears provided one of football’s most enduring moments as England bowed out on penalties.
The 1991 FA Cup final provided a critical moment in Gazza’s career. He started the final in a hyperactive state and committed an appalling foul on Gary Charles. He ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments and was stretchered off the field in tears. He missed the entire 1991/2 season.
Gazza signed for Lazio in September 1992 but his form was inconsistent and he continued to be troubled by injuries. He scored a famous 89th winner in the Rome derby but ultimately failed to settle in Italy. He headed back to Britain in 1995 to play for Glasgow Rangers and made an instant impact, winning Scottish Player of the Year honours in his first season. Proof he was back to his irrepressible best came in a match against Hibernian when he memorably booked referee Dougie Smith after the official dropped his yellow card on the pitch.
But controversy was never far away. Gascoigne managed to alienate one half of Glasgow when, during an Old Firm game against Celtic, he naively celebrated a goal by mimicking playing the flute. The gesture, symbolic of the Protestant Orange Order marches, lead to him receiving death threats from the IRA.
International swansong
Gascoigne became a crucial part of Terry Venables’ England team in the run-up to Euro 96. He scored his most memorable goal against Scotland, looping the ball over a bewildered Colin Hendry, burying a volley into the net and instigating the infamous “dentist chair” celebration with Teddy Sheringham. He remained part of the England squad until the 1998 World Cup. But his ongoing fitness problems – he was pictured out in London eating kebabs with Chris Evans – convinced new boss Glenn Hoddle to omit him from the squad. Gascoigne smashed up a hotel room when he was given the news. He would never play for England again.
Without football to provide refuge from his demons, Gascoigne’s descent into depression accelerated in recent years. He attempted to become a player coach with a short-lived spell at Boston United. He then tried his hand at management but only lasted 37 days at Kettering Town and left amid accusations of severe alcohol abuse. He famously changed his name to G8 and was arrested for allegedly attacking a press photographer in Liverpool.
Regardless of his many indiscretions and misdemeanours, the sadness of Gazza's slide into illness will resonate with every English football fan. Messages of support for have already come from all quarters of football's community who hope that the stricken Geordie hero receives the help he needs to recover.
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