PAUL GASCOIGNE

"God, the feeling when I scored against Scotland at Euro 96 was magnificent. It was pure instinct - you just can't teach kids that"

- Sam Pilger

Newcastle defender John Bailey said in the late ’80s that Paul Gascoigne, his young team-mate, was “either going to be one of the greats or finish up at 40, bitter about wasting such talent”. Both ended up being true.

‘Gazza’ was the most gifted player of his generation, becoming a household name thanks to his performances – and tears – at the 1990 World Cup, but there is a strong sense of tragedy and unfulfilment about his life and career.

When FFT sat down with him in 2005, Gazza was almost unrecognisable from the chubby youth who wept into his England shirt in Turin 15 years earlier. Still in his thirties then, he seemed frail, spoke slowly and shook slightly as he sipped coffee and puffed on a cigarette – until he was frantically told to stop before the smoke detectors went off.

Some answers (and questions) are difficult to read now, knowing in 2024 that Gascoigne’s alcohol addiction is still such a destructive force in his life. But we felt it was important to reprint the interview in full, as a time capsule into the mind of a player who, in many ways, defined football in our lifetime.

What was it like to play for the team you adored in front of the people you adored, at Newcastle United?

Geordie Boy, via email Playing in front of the Gallowgate, in front of all those Geordies, stands out as one of the best moments of my career. Even before I made my debut, I enjoyed some wonderful times at Newcastle. I was an apprentice when Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott, Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle were in the side that got promoted. I thought, ‘I want to be like them’.

Are your nuts still hurting from that Vinnie Jones vice-grip introduction, in the famous photo from your game against Wimbledon?