Ha'way the lad - Mel Stein

Paul Gascoigne is one of England's most talented footballers. The success or failure of the England team has much to do with whether Gascoigne is present and fit - sadly, not always the case in recent games. His most recent injury, a broken leg sustained during practice in April 1994, has been another bitter blow to English football.;A Geordie, Gascoigne first came to prominence as a teenage recruit to his local club, Newcastle United. His precocious talent marked him out for attention from the big league clubs, and in 1988 struggling Newcastle sold him to Tottenham Hotspur for #2 million. Soon Spurs were themselves struggling, financial problems having precipitated a boardroom battle. Gascoigne was again sold, this time to the Italian club Lazio for a record breaking #5.25 million. Before the transfer went through he suffered a serious injury in the 1991 FA Cup Final against Nottingham Forest, which kept him out of football for a year.;Paul Gascoigne's abilities on the field enable him to turn a game single-handed. His antics off the field have not always been so successful, and the ensuing controversy has meant that he is seldom out of the media spotlight.;Despite all this attention Gascoigne is more popular than ever. Worshipped by the lads, he is also a cult figure among the intellectuals. "Gazza" is a superstar: a footballing genius who is also a larger-than-life personality.