Paul GASCOIGNE

Paul Gascoigne became a national hero and treasure whose public profile was unmatched by any other celebrity in the country following his World Cup exploits. Bobby Robson made way for Graham Taylor as England coach, and although Taylor did his best to rebuild the side around Gascoigne, he was unable to do so, initially through lack of strength to keep Paul's prankish manner in check, and then through Gascoigne's unavailability after the self-inflicted knee injury he suffered in the 1991 FA Cup final threatened at the very least to nullify his effectiveness as a footballer, if not end his whole career. Six months earlier Gascoigne was infamously dropped in favour of the veteran Gordon Cowans for entirely tactical reasons as England ground out a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin in a qualifier for the 1992 European Championships, but by the time the group phase was nearing its climax, Paul's involvement in this particular squad was long gone.

The smashed knee didn't prevent his pre-arranged move from Spurs to Lazio but did keep him away from all football for 18 months and England badly missed his craft and guile as they looked appallingly bereft of ideas at the European Championships in Sweden, crashing out after a winless trio of group games. Settled as a player but not as a resident in Italy, Gascoigne began to prompt regular headlines for non-footballing reasons, not least when he was asked by Norwegian television prior to his comeback game in October 1992 if he had a message for Norway, and he replied with a known expletive. He immediately apologised and said it was a joke, but the damage was done. Norway responded with a sturdy performance and a 1-1 draw at Wembley, thereby making qualification for the 1994 World Cup all the harder for England. Gascoigne scored twice in the next qualification game - a straightforward 4-0 win over Turkey during which the photo above is taken - but he didn't seem the same player. (Matthew Rudd)

Few could dispute Paul Gascoigne needed more games to hone his sharpness and get used to the environment of large scale football again, but England didn't have time for that. The first half of 1993 would see five World Cup qualifiers and Taylor needed players to be fit, focussed and on song. For all Taylor's reputation for putting reliability ahead of ingenuity, he never failed to give Gascoigne the chance to do for England again what he'd done for the country previously, but although he started all five games (he is pictured above during the 1-1 draw in Poland, wearing a mask to protect a broken cheekbone), England only won the first two, with the final game proving a particularly bitter pill as Norway inflicted a 2-0 defeat on England in Oslo and left them with win-or-bust games against Poland and Holland to come. Graham Taylor took a squad full of rookies on a summer tour of the USA, a year before the World Cup would be hosted there, and Gascoigne stayed behind for a break.

He was in impish form against a disjointed Poland in September, scoring the second goal in a 3-0 win which left victory in Holland the only barrier blocking England if they were to reach the USA, with the inevitable maximum points in San Marino to follow and conclude the group. Gascoigne, however, missed the vital trip to Rotterdam with an injury and England's main creative force was again stifled as the Dutch ran out 2-0 winners. The San Marino game became an insignificance and Taylor paid with his job. His successor, however, would have Gascoigne's fitness and form as his number one priority. Terry Venables had recruited Paul for Spurs back in 1988 and had become his main mentor in the game, one of the few individuals to whom Gascoigne could listen and respond at all levels. However, Paul only played the first game of Venables' command - a 1-0 win over Denmark - before suffering a broken leg which kept him out of action for a year. Luckily, he had a tournament to aim for as his comeback stage, with England automatically qualifying for the 1996 European Championships as hosts of the event. (Matthew Rudd)

Terry Venables maintained throughout his meticulous building of a squad, team and formation that Gascoigne would spearhead his midfield if fit, and the race was on to join him in the engine room of the team. Paul returned for the 1995 summer tournament - the Umbro Trophy - and received a standing ovation at Wembley when Venables threw him on as a sub for David Batty in the opening game against Japan. This was his 30th appearance - he had missed the same amount of games since his 1988 debut - but this time he was there for keeps as the European Championships neared. He made further appearances as a sub during the remainder of the Umbro Trophy (the photo above is during the 3-3 draw against Sweden) before retaking his starting position for a goalless friendly against Colombia at Wembley, by which time he was recapturing shades of his peak club form following a move to Glasgow Rangers.

Gascoigne began to play as the prober and resourceful instigator of attacks behind a Venables-crafted strike pairing of Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham, with Sheringham supplying direct links to Shearer's end product. This formation, described by Venables with some geometric accuracy as the 'Christmas tree' became England's base for the European Championships, now fewer than 12 months away. By the time the final warm-up games in the close season of 1996 came along, Gascoigne had been installed to the side of Sheringham in England's 'hole' with Shearer reaping the benefits, while the talents of Steve McManaman and Darren Anderton added further inventiveness in the wider areas, either side of the holding midfielder Paul Ince. With Gascoigne nearing the form of six years earlier, things looked up for England for the opening group game against Switzerland, despite the media pummeling which Paul and his colleagues took for indulging in a heavy drinking session in Hong Kong prior to coming home for the tournament. (Matthew Rudd)

Gascoigne was a handful against Switzerland, but England's final ball and finishing was a problem and the Swiss grabbed a late draw, making the eagerly-awaited second match against Scotland even more of a mouth-waterer. Winning his 40th cap, Gascoigne controlled the game, elegant in his passing and impertinent in his dribbling, using his familiarly strong upper body and his cultured feet to glide past Scotland's midfield shacklers. England were a goal up thanks to Gary Neville's exquisite Gascoigne-like cross landing on Shearer's forehead when David Seaman saved Gordon Durie's penalty and Gascoigne duly benefitted from the Scottish shellshock to score his finest and most famous England goal. Taking an inside pass from the touchline on the run, Paul sensed the presence of defender Colin Hendry hurtling towards him and flicked the bouncing ball over the centre back's head, never once taking his eye off it.

As it fell, Gascoigne stylishly and brazenly thumped it on the volley past Andy Goram, sparking wild celebrations (see pictures above) which included the infamous re-enactment with water bottles of the dentist's chair photographs which had been plastered all over the papers from the squad's bonding session in Hong Kong. England from here could do no wrong. Gascoigne's joyful display against the Dutch in the third group game rolled back the years as England's most complete performance in decades roasted their opponents 4-1, with Shearer's second goal - England's third - coming thanks predominantly to Paul's immense strength and presence on the ball, keeping it tied to his instep while rolling past Dutchman after Dutchman before playing the killer pass to Sheringham, who in turn unselfishly put Shearer in. Gascoigne was at the base of the flame as England's team caught fire, reaping the rewards of Venables' careful planning and taking on the expectation and support of a whole nation. Spain were stern and terse opponents in the quarter-finals and Gascoigne misfired slightly, though when the game went to penalties he thumped his home with aplomb, shortly after Pearce had exorcised his ghosts of 1990 and immediately before Seaman's save ended Spanish hopes.

The Germans again awaited Gascoigne and England in the semi-finals, with England's creative diamond getting quickly into his stride by aiming a second minute corner perfectly on to the head of Tony Adams, whose flick was nodded in by Shearer. The Germans fashioned an equaliser and Gascoigne nearly won it with a golden goal, missing Shearer's cross shot by inches and later claiming that his lack of a Shearer-esque instinct robbed him of the extra yard he needed to apply the touch. He scored England's fourth penalty - despite later admitting the cardinal sin of changing his mind during the run-up - but Gareth Southgate's miss cruelly denied him and England again, and this heart-crushing end to the tournament at the semi-final stage and the long-planned departure of Venables ultimately did for the rest of Gascoigne's England hopes. (Matthew Rudd)

New coach Glenn Hoddle, the man whom Gascoigne had replaced as England's chief creator, built a new look midfield with extra strength at the back around Paul, but although he played an active and crucial part in England's qualification for the 1998 World Cup - including a perfromance against Italy which showed his underrated defensive attributes to the limit - Hoddle tired of Gascoigne's off-pitch lifestyle which frequented the newspapers. Hoddle took 28 players to Morocco for the King Hassan II Cup matches which acted as final warm-up games before he announced his 22 to catch the plane to France, and Gascoigne's lethargy and attitude around the camp and his ineffectiveness on the pitch during both games in Casablanca (the photo above shows him during the 1-0 win against the hosts) ultimately forced Hoddle's hand.

It seemed set in stone that even a half-primed Paul, now a Middlesbrough player, would make the trip, so the shock which reverberated around the country when Hoddle omitted him from the final squad was plain for all to see. Gascoigne infamously smashed up Hoddle's room in his anguish but Hoddle stood firm, opting to use Sheringham and Paul Scholes as dual link men to Shearer and then calling upon David Beckham to provide central craft when the time was right. Gascoigne played for Everton after leaving Middlesbrough and although occasional stories appeared claiming that Hoddle's successor Kevin Keegan was considering a recall for Gazza, it never happened, rightly. For all the drama and farce of Gascoigne's international decline, it was his heroics, his tears and his brilliance on the ball for which he will be immortalised. Ego-free and scintillating to watch and play with, this was a gem of a footballer and the game's popularity was enhanced and strengthened by him. He'll be an England hero for life. (Matthew Rudd)