MAGIC, TRAGIC, JOKER, GENIUS
Paul Gascoigne celebrates the 50th birthday he feared he would never see
HE was a pint-sized, angel-faced chubby kid, I had been told to keep my eye on.
Two years younger than the rest of my team-mates in the Redheugh Boys Club Under-13s in Gateshead, he was supposed to be a bit special.
In our first match together, I had been made captain and was told to look out for the skilful midfielder everyone was talking about.
Within minutes of kick-off, young Paul Gascoigne – who in those days was known as ‘Gassa’ rather than ‘Gazza’ – was arguing with the referee.
In typical fashion, he ignored all requests to stop. Moments later, he hit a pass from the edge of our penalty area, which sailed 80 yards through the air to land with pinpoint accuracy at the feet of our left-winger Paul Donnelly, his mate from school, who duly scored.
I remember thinking then that all the talk was true. He really was something special.
Over the years, along with millions of fans, I followed the incredible highs of Gazza’s career with real pride, and felt the pain of the lows.
The man we have all come to know as Gazza celebrates his 50th birthday today – a milestone which he once feared he would never reach.
The England legend is expected to mark his big day at a party organised to raise funds for his continued fight against addiction.
The Geordie star’s life after football has parallels with that of another great, George Best. Hailed as a genius during his career, he has fought a life-long battle with the twin addictions of booze and drugs, complicated further by his compulsive personality disorder.
Yet Gazza’s rise from humble beginnings on Tyneside to worldwide fame inspired many in the game when, aged 23 at Italia 90, he was arguably the best player in the world. Seven years earlier, he was starring for a Newcastle United Junior side, and Toon legend Jackie Milburn described him as the greatest talent he had ever seen.
As a cub reporter with the Gateshead Post, I interviewed Gazza just four days before his first multimillion pound transfer from Newcastle to Spurs in 1988.
He joked about every major club in the land wanting to sign him, and became one of the few to turn down Alex Ferguson.
Instead, he was persuaded by Terry Venables, then Spurs manager, to head for London in a British record transfer deal of £2.2million, with best pal Jimmy ‘Five-bellies’ Gardner for
company. His tears in the 1990 World Cup semi-final defeat against West Germany made him one of the most famous faces on the planet (right).
From there he went to Lazio, Rangers, Everton and Middlesbrough. But, as the fame grew, the cracks in the Gascoigne psyche also started to appear. His devoted mum Carol, now 72, revealed she was worried about his move to London.
For all the fame and glory, Gazza, a working class hero, was not equipped for the demands of fame.
His loyal parents and siblings Carl, Lindsay, and Anna Marie have always been there for him. Best friend Jimmy travelled the world to “keep him company”. But pressure told on and off the pitch; stories of his drinking began to emerge, first at Rangers, then Everton and finally Middlesbrough, where former Arsenal star Paul Merson joked about their latenight drinking “games”.
He replaced the “buzz” of playing with drink and drugs, and his personal problems mounted.
His marriage to Sheryl Kyle in July, 1996 ended in bitter divorce in August, 1998, and the split from his son Regan brought more heartache. His many friends have rallied round and, as he turns 50, guests at his birthday bash will be asked to contribute in order to help Gazza, who is now short of cash.
Throughout his life, he has given to and worked for charitable causes, and loved chatting with fans. He remains a hugely popular figure around the world.
We last met at the unveiling of the statue to Sir Bobby Robson five years ago at St James’ Park. He joked about how I had become a “Mark Hughes lookalike”.
Frail and thin, he happily gave his time to supporters, signing autographs, and was emotional at the tributes to Sir Bobby, his great hero. He famously cried at his funeral, and wiped away tears again as the statue was unveiled
The great Geordie manager would have loved to have been with his former protege today, paying tribute to one of our most gifted ever footballers.