Biography
Often hailed as a footballing "genius" and described by former teammate Chris Waddle in 2018 as England's last "true creative midfield player," Paul Gascoigne, commonly known as "Gazza," began his career at Newcastle United, where he played 92 matches and scored 21 goals. He then transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in London, where he also appeared in 92 games and netted 19 goals.
It was during his time at Tottenham that manager Bobby Robson first called him up to the England squad. Gascoigne played a vital role in England's 1990 FIFA World Cup team, which reached the semi-finals—their best performance since winning the 1966 World Cup. His dazzling displays during the tournament turned him into a national hero, with Robson later describing him as the best young player of the tournament, though FIFA awarded that title to Yugoslavia's Robert Prosinecki. Nevertheless, Gascoigne was England's standout player, finishing fourth in the 1990 Ballon d'Or behind Lothar Matthäus, Totò Schillaci, and Andreas Brehme, with no other English players ranking in the top ten.
The following years saw a downturn for England under Graham Taylor, Robson's successor, including an early exit at Euro '92 (which Gascoigne missed due to injury) and failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, resulting in Taylor's dismissal. From 1995 to 1998, Gascoigne experienced his most prolific scoring period at Scottish club Rangers, tallying 30 goals in 74 appearances. In 1996, England manager Terry Venables, who had previously coached Gascoigne at Tottenham, selected him for the Euro '96 squad held in England. Gascoigne earned praise for a stunning goal against Scotland and for his contribution to the remarkable 4-1 victory over the Netherlands. However, he narrowly missed a chance to secure a winning goal against Germany in the semifinal after lunging for the ball just in front of the goal. England ultimately lost in a penalty shootout following a miss by Gareth Southgate, with Germany advancing to and winning the final against the Czech Republic.
Glenn Hoddle, England's next manager, controversially left the 31-year-old Gascoigne out of the 1998 World Cup squad, citing fitness concerns. This decision marked the end of Gascoigne's international career, during which he earned 57 caps and scored ten goals. That same year, he left Rangers for Middlesbrough but was past his peak, scoring only four goals in 41 games. He also played for Everton from 2000 to 2002, making 32 appearances, before concluding his career with stints at Burnley, China's Gansu Tianma, and Boston United.
Although he never won a major international tournament, Gascoigne remains one of England's most iconic footballers and has been featured in numerous interviews reflecting on his career, including Piers Morgan's Life Stories (2009), Alan Shearer's Euro 96: When Football Came Home (2016), and Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018).
