Paul GASCOIGNE

 Unquestionably the most natural footballer to play for England in half a century, Paul Gascoigne combined immense skill and vision with the exuberance and enthusiasm - and facility to self-destruct - of the child-like caricature he often conveyed to an adoring public and a succession of patient but exasperated coaches. Calls for his genius to be added to the squad came as early as 1987 as he began to carve out a reputation beyond the Gallowgate at Newcastle United. Though impressed, Bobby Robson resisted zealous media calls for the uncapped Gascoigne to be given a wildcard into the 1988 European Championship squad, about to fly to Germany for the competition, and the impossibly talented Geordie instead spent the summer watching England's capitulation and choosing a move to Tottenham Hotspur over Manchester United. With Robson intent on discarding Glenn Hoddle after the disaster in Germany, Gascoigne's elevation was inevitable as England's next new creative lynchpin was sought.

Paul was immediately summoned to join the first squad of Robson's rebuild, coming on as a late substitute against Denmark to a huge Wembley welcome, though he got little opportunity to leave tongues hanging out, desperate for more. Some mild injuries kept him away from Spurs on a semi-regular basis through the season and further England caps were consequently harder to add. Again he was used as a sub in a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia and then in a 5-0 Wembley slaughtering of Albania in a 1990 World Cup qualifier, during which the supporters began to glimpse what this much-hailed kid was about. Weak and fatigued opposition it may have been, but the grace and confidence exuded by a 21 year old Gascoigne as he glided through three challenges late on to stroke home a left footed drive and complete the rout began a wonderful, if mixed, relationship with the England fans and media. Robson, while famously calling him "daft as a brush" (to which Gazza responded by attending the next training session with a hairbrush in his sock!), found the talent and energy of Gascoigne intriguing and worthy of pursual but, initially, not as irresistible as many felt he should.

Paul made his first England start in the 1989 Rous Cup opener versus Chile, which ended 0-0, then came on as a sub for Tony Cottee in a 2-0 win over the Scots four days later. Robson erred on a cautionary side when the World Cup qualifiers came round again, sticking with the trusted, if unflamboyant, central pairing of Bryan Robson and Neil Webb and preferring the creativity to stem from the wider positions. Gascoigne's club form forced Robson's hand when a trip to Sweden loomed in the toughest of the qualifying games, but Paul displayed maturity and stamina, as well as deft touches of his awesome gift, when replacing a badly-injured Webb who had freakishly snapped his Achilles tendon when taking an unremarkable shot from distance. (Matthew Rudd)

Bobby Robson kept his distance from the baying for Gascoigne's inclusion, making sure that qualification was in the bag first, and England duly booked their place in Italy after a 0-0 draw in Poland. Paul sat out a superb match against the Italians in November 1989 which seemed made for him, as England's creative juices were allowed to flow by the visitors' natural negativity and Robson's willingess to let flair rule. At one point England had Chris Waddle, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and Steve Hodge on the pitch, later to be joined by debutant David Platt, but Gascoigne was crocked and missed out. Somehow the game ended 0-0, and Paul was missing again when England defeated Yugoslavia 2-1 at Wembley. Five preparatory games remained before the squad was finalised, and there were rumblings among supporters and media circles that Gascoigne, for all his breathtaking skill and confidence, was mistrusted a little too much by Robson.

He came on as a late sub against Brazil in March 1990 as England won 1-0, but then Robson finally unleashed him, with the brief that he should earn his place on the plane. The performance from Gascoigne which followed was the first of many dominating and complete midfield displays in an England shirt which would enthral everyone around him and yet frustrate all the more because he would not be around often enough to make it a regular event. Czechoslovakia were the visitors and they had the temerity to take an early lead before Gascoigne, with the space around closed off by two markers, shuffled a pass on to his right boot and bent an inexplicable, outrageous ball with the outside of his foot on to the chest of striker Steve Bull, who gladly thumped home the bouncing ball first time. Shortly afterwards, Paul delivered a dangerous corner which wrecked the Czechs' defensive organisation, and Stuart Pearce found room to score his first international goal from close range.

In the second half, Gascoigne continued his one-man show with a splendid, surging and swerving dash to the byline, keeping the ball meticulously close to his toes despite the pace he showed, and the stretching cross was headed home at the far post by Bull, thereby guaranteeing the Wolves striker's own seat on the jet. The Czechs, no pushovers but still woefully short of ideas to stop the rot, pulled one back before Gascoigne placed the perfect tin lid on a quite astonishing individual performance by racing past two defenders in a last minute surge and burying a left foot drive into the top corner. The shot of Robson grinning and pointing his finger suggested that the Gascoigne seat was reserved for Italy there and then. Paul started the last three warm-up matches (the photo above is during the 1-0 win against Denmark)

Paul Gascoigne lined up for the opening World Cup group game against the Republic of Ireland in Turin, starting his ritual of showing his tongue during the national anthems as the camera panned across him and along the line of England players. Once the game was underway, Gascoigne was as dominant as industrial Irish tactics and an awful galeforce wind would allow him to be, and a 1-1 draw was fair and worthy. The following game against Holland brought out the first signals of another important string to Paul's bow - fearlessness. Showing no respect for the reigning European champions, Gascoigne proceeded to take the Dutch defence apart on numerous occasions with either a searing run, beautiful pass or insolent turn, most famously using the backheel twist which left the elegant Ronald Koeman looking very foolish and utterly beaten on his own byline, although the resulting cross evaded both Bull and Gary Lineker. Luck wasn't on England's side as the game ended goalless, meaning that victory over Egypt in the last game was absolutely necessary. Although a nervous affair, Gascoigne was again in his element, playing like a boy in the playground, and his immaculate second half free-kick from the touchline was touched home by the forehead of Mark Wright to send England through.

Previous concerns about Paul's attitude, maturity and weight had dissipated - now the concern was whether England had enough to complement him as the knockout phase of the World Cup loomed. Gascoigne remained a steadfast and stoic presence in the England midfield as Robson played with the personnel and formations, losing skipper Bryan Robson to injury and giving Steve McMahon and, to considerably more success, David Platt, opportunities to make their names. Gascoigne's name was already in the making by the time England began their second round tie against Belgium in Bologna. A crisp, neat but mutually cancelling affair had penalties written all over it until the very last minute of extra time when a tireless Gascoigne chipped in another fabulously directed free kick and Platt, on as a sub, heralded the beginning of his own global appreciation by firing a twisting, spellbinding volley into the net. Paul's impact on the team was obvious - players in the squad lined up to congratulate him publicly while also privately trying to keep him calm and focussed - while the acclamation he was getting back home entwined itself with a real belief that a combination of Gascoigne's eye for a pass, Lineker's perenially faultless finishing and the defence's stout meanness could earn England the World Cup.

Cameroon nearly ruined the dream in the quarter-finals - England lost a 1-0 lead when Gascoigne fouled Roger Milla in the area for a penalty which was converted, then horrifyingly went 2-1 behind minutes later. However, Lineker's own coolness from the spot after he was chopped down late on made sure the game went into extra time again, and Gascoigne's fitness and determination, to say nothing of his sparkling ability to split defences with a pass, proved the difference. His through ball towards Lineker was weighted perfectly to evade the attempted blocks and leave the England striker free, and upon another foul, his second penalty put England into the last four (the photo above shows a delighted Paul, fist clenched, saluting the England fans after the match). The semi-final against West Germany would send Gascoigne into the stratosphere. (Matthew Rudd)

In his team talk, Robson told Gascoigne that he would be facing the world's greatest midfielder in Lothar Matthaus. Paul's reply suggested that it would, in fact, be Matthaus facing the world's best midfielder. Robson, with a shrug of the shoulders, found it tough to argue, but implored Gascoigne to use his energy sparingly and make sure that Matthaus was shackled in equal measure to Paul's own desire to create and inspire. Gascoigne, who was keyed up to the extent that he played a full-on tennis match against two Americans on the hotel courts the night before the game, did exactly as Robson said. With leadership from the likes of Lineker, Pearce and stand-in skipper Terry Butcher keeping Gascoigne's team responsibilities at the forefront, the 23 year old Geordie played the game of his life, the sort which brought back memories of Alf Ramsey telling the equally precocious Alan Ball after the 1966 final that he "will never play a better game of football than {you did} today". The Germans were as cool under pressure and as disciplined as ever, but Matthaus was unable to galvanise their tight display with the driving runs on and off the ball which had become a hallmark of their progress to the semi-finals.

When he was on the ball, Gascoigne was there to force him wide or backwards (or just rob him of possession); when he was off the ball, it was because he was chasing an impudent, playful and executive midfield colossus in Gazza. England nearly scored in the opening two minutes when a half-cleared corner was met by a swerving Gascoigne volley which fell inches wide, yet it was ultimately the Germans who grabbed a fortunate lead through Andreas Brehme's wickedly deflected free-kick. Paul was on a deserved breather in a deep position as England found the equaliser thanks to Lineker powering home from the edge of the box, but then drama and the definitive Gascoigne moment was about to introduce itself. Paul, after mildly over-running the ball, caught the shin of Thomas Berthold as he tried to win it back from the German defender, and though Berthold's reaction was over the top (see photo above, the German writhing on the floor as Gacoigne pleads with the referee to keep his card in his pocket), the yellow card issued to Paul was not undeserved.

However, it was his second of the tournament and would rob him of a place in the final. The tears welled in his eyes and his face turned red as his World Cup dream as an individual player dissolved, and the nation, already racked with tension, wept with him. Lineker's quick chat to both player and bench (see photo above, a worried Lineker looking across to manager Robson) restored Gascoigne's concentration, and he duly continued to play a blinder in his efforts to get his team-mates and his country into the final. The game ended 1-1, the penalties didn't go England's way, and all of the country's World Cup dreams died. Gascoigne cried again at the end (see inset photo above, Mark Wright consoling Paul at the end of extra time) while Pearce and Waddle also shed the tears after their missed penalties sealed their doom. Gascoigne's suspension instead ruled him out of the third place play-off against Italy, which England lost 2-1, but he was to return home England's biggest single footballing icon in a generation. One wonders what England would have done without Paul in the final if they had got there, especially with Argentina - who had gone through the night before - intent on kicking players rather than footballs, and maybe such tactics might have brought out the worst in Gascoigne which less intimidating and politically delicate opponents had not managed to do. But that ultimately became an immaterial matter. (Matthew Rudd)