As Paul Gascoigne turns 50 today, Football Italia salutes the one-of-a-kind who remains in Lazio hearts.
Words: Tom Scholes
There haven’t been many players quite like Paul Gascoigne, and I doubt we will ever see anyone like him again. Mercurial, magical, mischievous, Gazza was everything and during his spell in Serie A with Lazio we got to see every side of Paul Gascoigne’s game on the pitch and what he was capable of doing.
As Paul Gascoigne turns 50 today, Football Italia salutes the one-of-a-kind who remains in Lazio hearts.
Words: Tom Scholes
There haven’t been many players quite like Paul Gascoigne, and I doubt we will ever see anyone like him again. Mercurial, magical, mischievous, Gazza was everything and during his spell in Serie A with Lazio we got to see every side of Paul Gascoigne’s game on the pitch and what he was capable of doing.
To understand how big Gazza moving to Lazio was, you have to cast your mind back to the 1990’s and the post Italia ’90 Gazza phenomenon across Europe. As England reached the semi finals of the 1990 World Cup, Gascoigne was the star of the team and came back from the tournament one of the hottest players in the world.
Gascoigne spent the next two season at Tottenham Hotspur and whilst the campaign immediately following Italia ’90 was a success, winning the FA Cup, being named in the PFA Team of the Season and agreeing terms with Lazio over a move, his knee injury in the 1991 FA Cup Final was a huge setback.
The move to the Biancocelesti was delayed, but eventually completed in 1992, and Gazza’s arrival was met with huge fanfare, Lazio fans flocking to the streets to meet their new hero.
Some could argue that the interest back in the UK with regards to Gascoigne wouldn’t have been as big if it wasn’t for the Football Italia show back in the 90’s hosted by James Richardson, a show where Gazza would make regular appearances.
On the pitch, Gazza’s form was inconsistent, and with his overweight frame causing much controversy amongst coaching staff and media. Despite the fans enjoying his antics and the occasional performances like his showing against Milan in a 5-3 defeat and the last minute equaliser against Roma, Gazza never seemed to reach the heights expected of him.
Manager Dino Zoff wasn’t entirely keen on Gascoigne’s antics and he was dropped for the clash against Juventus in January 1993 due to “poor fitness.” When questioned about this by Italian press, Gazza simply burped into the microphone and was eventually fined £9,000.
His performances against Juventus, Cagliari and Sampdoria in 1994 showed that Gazza had the ability, but after a career-threatening tackle in training against a youth player named Alessandro Nesta, the road to recovery was cut off for Gascoigne. Alen Boksic had overtaken as the new hero of the Curva Nord, and Gazza was soon on his way back to Britain with Glasgow Rangers.
There was never any doubt about Gascoigne’s quality, as most will probably admit that when Gazza was in full flow, it was next to impossible to stop him. But in a league where being incredibly fit is key, Gascoigne couldn’t keep up. An inconsistent spell in the capital for Gascoigne, but a memorable stint at Lazio is something fans of Serie A in the 1990’s will never forget.