Gazza struggles to avoid Best's mistakes
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-07 09:58

ENGLAND FAME

He had shot to fame with the national side at the World Cup in 1990, his tears at England's semi-final exit on penalties to Germany becoming one of the tournament's lasting images.

Blessed with great ball skills and a rare creative vision, Gascoigne's club career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio and Rangers. Despite some bad injuries over the years, he also amassed 57 England caps and scored two memorable goals at Wembley Stadium.

In a 2000 poll of fans, Gascoigne's lob over Scotland defender Colin Hendry and volley into the net at Euro 96 was voted the best goal ever scored beneath the Twin Towers.

His 30-metre free kick for Spurs in their 1991 FA Cup semi-final victory over derby rivals Arsenal was voted the fifth best.

It was all a far cry from the latter years of his career, spent at Middlesbrough, Everton, Burnley and the relative wilderness of China's second division before he hung up his boots last year as player/manager of fourth division Boston United.

In one of the more bizarre twists, fed up with his Gazza nickname, Gascoigne also announced at the time he wanted henceforth to be called G8 - combining his initial and former shirt number.

The idea was to sever ties with his hell-raising days when large amounts of alcohol, consumed in the company of his best mate Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner, frequently turned the player into the nation's laughing stock.

However, G8 proved to be yet another change which did not work out for Gascoigne, whose future in football management is looking increasingly bleak.