On this day (May 27) in 1967, Paul Gascoigne was born in Gateshead. He signed for Newcastle United as a schoolboy and rose through the youth ranks to the first-team as a 17-year-old, playing professionally for the Magpies between 1985 and 1988 before Tottenham Hotspur came calling.
Newcastle finished 14th under Jack Charlton in 1984/85 and Gascoigne featured twice in his debut season. The Magpies finished 11th in 1985/86, 17th in 1986/87 and 8th in 1987/88 under Willie McFaul, who left Newcastle at the same time Gascoigne did.
The 54-year-old made 94 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle, scoring 20 goals. He scored his first goal for the Toon Army five months after making his league debut and ended his stint at St James’ Park as the PFA Young Player of the Year.
He would go on to play for Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton, Burnley, Gansu Tianma and Boston United while representing England on 57 occassions. But Gascoigne won’t just be remembered for what he did on the pitch too.
It’s common knowledge how he struggled with substance abuse, alcohol addiction and committed domestic abuse, so Gascoigne comes with the good and the bad.
