Paul Gascoigne achieved great things during his career, but perhaps his biggest accomplishment was helping to unify a divided and angry nation for one summer 25 years ago.
In 1990, England was, in many senses, in turmoil. Six years after police had brutally cracked down on an angry miners’ protest at Orgreave, 250,000 people were on the streets of London, violently protesting against the Poll Tax.
Football was in chaos too. Four years after the Heysel Disaster, 96 people died at Hillsborough.
There was also open warfare between sections of the media and the England manager. After a disappointing European Championship in 1988 and World Cup qualification campaign, Bobby Robson was branded a “plonker”, his team “rubbish” and there were calls for him to resign, especially when it emerged he had signed a contract to join PSV Eindhoven after Italia ‘90.
“Go, in the name of God, go!” yelled one publication.
But, as England progressed through the finals, the country came together and Gascoigne was their hero.
Gascoigne played a key role in helping England reach the semi-finals with several dazzling displays.
But Gascoigne was much more than a talented midfielder with great vision, dribbling ability and power – he was the darling of the nation.
He was a working-class footballer who enjoyed a laugh and wore his heart on his sleeve, a joker who also did not shy away from showing his emotions.
That is why England fell in love with Gascoigne 25 years ago, and that is why his pain was shared on July 4, 1990, when he broke down in tears after his childhood dreams were destroyed.
On that balmy day, Nelson Mandela was visiting 10 Downing Street, the Rolling Stones played in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley, but the nation only had one thing on their mind – England’s World Cup semi-final against West Germany in Turin.
Like England, Gascoigne’s form had improved as the tournament progressed.
Despite having just turned 23, he was not fazed by the prospect of facing Germany star Lothar Matthaus.
“It was a bit of a worry for me, so I said to him: ‘One of the key issues is you and Matthaus.’,” Robson would recall in the documentary Italia ‘90 – Gascoigne’s Glory.
“But before I could say anything else, he said: ‘Boss, no problem. Leave him to me. Go and smoke your cigar’.”
Gascoigne was not bluffing. Matthaus struggled to keep up with him and England dominated the first half.
But after the break, the Germans took a lucky lead when Andreas Brehme’s free kick struck Paul Parker and looped over Peter Shilton.
It was a bitter blow, but Gascoigne would not accept defeat. England got their reward 10 minutes from time when Gary Lineker netted a low drive.
Gascoigne jumped for joy, but at the start of extra time he was reduced to tears as the 62,628 people inside the Stadio Delle Alpi and the 30 million people watching at home witnessed one of the most famous events in English sporting history.
Gascoigne collected the ball from Peter Beardsley but lost it while dribbling forwards. In an attempt to retrieve the ball, Gascoigne clattered into Thomas Berthold from behind.
Having been booked for a foul on Enzo Scifo in the last-16 tie against Belgium, Gascoigne knew another yellow card would rule him out of the final if England got there.
He could not bring himself to look at referee Jose Ramiz Wright and instead went to comfort the German, who was writhing around in apparent pain.
But the Brazilian official, perhaps influenced by the angry German bench, who had risen to their feet, plucked a yellow card from his pocket and thrust it in Gascoigne’s direction.
“I realised: I’m going to miss the final, and I cried,” Gascoigne said in an interview with Press Association Sport to mark the 25th anniversary of the semi-final.
“I cried because I thought: I’m going to miss the most important games of my career.
“There were lots of emotions. I was thinking about the support we had, my family back home, the squad, and what I wanted to achieve from a young age.”
The England supporters rallied behind their sobbing hero. “We love you Gazza,” they yelled.
Lineker turned to the bench and told Robson he needed to “have a word” with the weeping midfielder.
But the player who Robson called “daft as a brush” prior to the tournament responded in the most professional manner.
“It was hard, the crying side of it,” said Gascoigne, now 48.
“But because I’m not selfish, I thought: ‘Come on, if I’m not going to make it, I want the other players to get there’ and I worked my nuts off the last 20 minutes.”
He did just that, grafting until the last whistle, but Gascoigne could not help England find a winner and they crashed out on penalties.
More tears followed. Terry Butcher had to lift Gascoigne’s arms up to salute the England supporters inside the stadium.
The midfielder, his face raw with emotion, paused and kissed his white shirt before disappearing down the tunnel.
The pain may have been deep, but Gascoigne had succeeded in uniting a nation for one night and becoming an England great.
Perhaps the author Salman Rushdie summed up what that night meant to the English people after the semi-final defeat.
He wrote: “Before Paul Gascoigne, did anyone ever become a national hero and a dead-cert millionaire by crying? Fabulous. Weep and the world weeps with you.”
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