'I'm nearly crying thinking about it' - Gazza on Italia 90 | Football News

Tears & talent: Gazza on Italia 90

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Peter Smith, Paul Gascoigne opens up about the highs and lows of his World Cup experience in 1990, his iconic exploits on and off the pitch, and shares his one piece of advice for the England players in Qatar...

“God, I'm nearly crying thinking about it." There's a lump in Paul Gascoigne's throat and he needs a second to compose himself. It's 32 years on but the emotions of Italia 90 can still come through as strong now as they were then.

Gascoigne's tears in Turin, when he received the yellow card in the semi-final against West Germany which would rule him out of the final became an iconic moment in English football history. But this reaction is at the memory of the part he played in England's two game-changing penalties against Cameroon a round earlier in the quarter-finals.

"I gave a penalty away and I’m thinking in my head, 'Oh no, we're going home and I've given a penalty away,” says Gascoigne during our video call ahead of the release of the new documentary Italia 90: Four weeks which changed the world.

“I kept thinking about that for five or 10 minutes. But then I thought, ‘Just do some magic’ – and I managed to produce those two passes to Gary Lineker.”

Gascoigne breaks off for a moment, reflecting on the free-kick he crossed in which led to England's equaliser and the perfectly-weighted through-ball in extra-time. “I was well proud of myself,” he says after gathering his composure.

"And then I went on to take the piss out of them!"

He beams with that infectious smile. Suddenly he’s Gazza, the cheeky, fun-loving outrageous talent who took that World Cup by storm and became an icon back at home for his brilliance and boyish charm.

'I wasn't bothered who I played against'

It seems remarkable now, given the events which would follow, but Gascoigne’s place at Italia 90 wasn’t guaranteed earlier that year.

He was a rising star. An undoubted talent. An FA Youth Cup winner with Newcastle in 1985, Gascoigne had been presented with the PFA Young Player of the Year prize in 1988, at the end of a season in which he’d been voted into the First Division Team of the Year.

He'd been given his international debut by Bobby Robson at the end of that year, too. But at just 22 years old he had work to do to show the manager he deserved a place in the 1990 squad. He seized his chance.

"Bobby Robson said, ‘Look, I’m going to play you against Czechoslovakia and if you play well you’re going to the World Cup’," Gascoigne tells Sky Sports. "I scored one and set up three, so I knew I was going!”

It was a tantalising demonstration of what was to come. The build-up to the tournament for Robson and the England team as a whole wasn’t anywhere near as convincing.

After a nightmare Euro 88 campaign, in which England lost all three group games, Robson had been hounded by the press, imploring him to resign. A Polish shot against the woodwork in the final minute of England’s final World Cup qualifier was inches away from costing them a place in Italy. A win over Brazil at Wembley boosted confidence but a challenge for the title seemed out of reach.

But as a young player heading to his first major tournament, none of that mattered to Gascoigne. He was determined to make the most of the experience – on and off the pitch.

Gascoigne boards the flight to Italy with Bobby Robson
Gascoigne boards the flight to Italy with Bobby Robson

“From the start, getting on the aeroplane with the suits on and arriving in Italy, I felt excited,” says Gascoigne.

“The World Cup, I took it as though it was a boys’ club. I was playing tennis, I was messing about. But then, come the day before the game, I’d concentrate and focus on the game.

“I wasn’t bothered who I played against. I knew I wasn’t bad and the players I had around us… God, our team: Terry Butcher, Peter Shilton, Stuart Pearce, Mark Wright, John Barnes, Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley, myself, Gary Lineker… what a team that was. It was exciting times.

“We were confident. We were all watching the very first game and Argentina got beat 1-0 by Cameroon and we thought. ‘Wow, we have got a good chance here’.

“Our squad was incredible plus there was the team spirit. The 22 players all got on with each other, there was no animosity. It was good for me because I was only coming up to 23 and all the other players were 27, 28, in their prime. It gave me the freedom to go and play my own game. I put in the work ethic as well. But that experience was incredible.”

Gascoigne won the PFA Young Player of the Year prize in 1988

Gascoigne poses with Italian Carabinieri

'Where's Gazza? Where's Gazza?!'

Those wiser, more experienced team-mates came in handy off the pitch, as well, with Gascoigne recounting how a concerned Robson would have the squad on a rota to make sure his mercurial youngster didn’t misbehave.

“Bobby Robson was incredible,” smiles Gascoigne. “He was fantastic with me. He wouldn’t let me go. He may as well have put a leash around me.

“All I could hear from him all the time was, ‘Where’s Gazza? Where’s Gazza?’

"‘I’m here, man! I’m here!’

“Each player spent half an hour with me. Gary Stevens had half an hour. ‘Right, your go’. Beardsley had half an hour. ‘Your go’. Chris Waddle… The energy was so incredible. I was so excited and that was making me not think about the game.”

Gascoigne with Steve Bull and Bryan Robson during training
Gascoigne with Steve Bull and Bryan Robson during training

Asked if Robson’s great skill in that tournament was giving Gascoigne freedom on the pitch and managing him off it, the former midfielder sits back in his chair and laughs. “Yeah, he managed us off the pitch!

“I did try to get away with a few things but he managed to catch us all the time. One was a pina colada on the beach and he caught us. He said, ‘Gazza, what have you got there?’ and I said, ‘Milkshake, gaffer!’ He had a taste and said, ‘No more, go and mix with the other guys.’ ‘Sorry!’

“I was enjoying it. The weather is lovely. I’m in the World Cup. I’m playing for my country. I thought I might as well have a pina colada!

“It was my birthday as well during the World Cup and I got a birthday cake wrapped in my face by Chris Waddle. We made the most of it off the field.”

'When you get the ball do some magic'

On the field, those same players rolled their sleeves up when it was time for football.

England’s progress through the group stage wasn’t straightforward and it wasn’t always pretty, with Gascoigne providing sparks of creativity amid the physical battles with Ireland, the Netherlands and Egypt.

There was a Cruyff turn against the Dutch, the crossed free-kick for Mark Wright’s winner against Egypt to win the group and another assist from a free-kick in the knockouts, this time for David Platt’s sublime last-gasp extra-time volley against Belgium which took England into the last eight.

Gascoigne celebrates England's win over Belgium in the last 16
Gascoigne celebrates England's win over Belgium in the last 16

“I wasn’t bothered who I was up against,” says Gascoigne about his role in the team. “I knew I was good and when you’re playing alongside the likes of Bryan Robson he gives you the freedom.

“He told us when I first played alongside him, ‘Look Gazza, leave all the challenges to me, leave the headers to me. I’ll go for everything. Just make sure when you get the ball you do some magic.’ And it worked well with him.

“What a captain, what a leader. But I like to think we had 11 captains on that pitch – well 10, I was only 23!”

His best moment in the tournament? Gascoigne goes for the comeback against Cameroon in the quarter-finals (after first suggesting a tennis match win over Trevor Steven).

Against the tournament’s surprise package, England almost suffered an embarrassing exit.

Gascoigne gave away a penalty but then helped England win two of their own against Cameroon in the quarter-finals
Gascoigne gave away a penalty but then helped England win two of their own against Cameroon in the quarter-finals

Gascoigne was involved in the initial setback, giving away a penalty, and then the remarkable recovery. His half-cleared free-kick and wonderful through ball led to the fouls for the penalties which took England to a 3-2 win in extra-time.

“Gary Lineker did well scoring those two penalties. Brave man. I wouldn’t have liked to take them,” says Gascoigne, for the first time hinting at some apprehension he had about the enormity of the stage he was on.

“The Cruyff turn against the Dutch, the cross to Wright to get the goal… there were a few nice moments. Magic moments. I find it hard to see some of those clips now because they’re memories I cannot bring back. I’d love to but time’s ticking on.”

Sadly for Gascoigne and England there was no magic moment to follow Lineker’s late equaliser against West Germany in the semi-final. They had progressed by fine margins but hit a post and had a goal ruled out for offside in extra-time before the infamous defeat in the shootout.

Gascoigne met British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after Italia 90

'I'd never seen anything like it'

Despite the heartbreaking ending, the tournament had a lasting impact on English football. Four weeks that changed the world. And four weeks that changed the world of one young man from the North East.

“I went there just to play football and I came back and it was a shock,” says Gascoigne, reflecting on his hero-like status following the World Cup.

“I remember getting off the aeroplane and Lineker saying, ‘Careful’ and I didn’t know what he was on about. Then we saw all the fans. Wow. I’d never seen anything like it.

Gascoigne signs autographs on England's return from the World Cup
Gascoigne signs autographs on England's return from the World Cup

“My dad picked us up and I managed to get through the crowd and he said, ‘That’s nothing, wait until you get home son’. And when I got home I saw everyone outside the house.

“I had to go round the back end, jump over two houses’ fences and in the back window. That’s how I got home every day! And going out that way as well so the press couldn’t follow us… Then I got Sports Personality of the Year. Going into shops it was crazy.

Gascoigne won the BBC's Sports Personality prize in 1990
Gascoigne won the BBC's Sports Personality prize in 1990

“People say would you change anything now and I wouldn’t. I enjoyed every minute and I was still performing on the pitch. I remember the press saying, ‘He’s opening too many shops and not concentrating on his football’ but three days later I scored a hat-trick past Shilton, and that shut them up.

“When I look back now, I think how the hell did I cope with that? I think it’s because of my personality when I was growing up. I remember I got man of the match against Man Utd and Liverpool and scored two against Tottenham and said, ‘Dad, when are you going to come and watch us?’ and he said, ‘When you’ve made it son, you haven’t made it yet’. And I thought ‘Wow’. He told me to never change and I’ve stuck to that. I’ve never changed.

“I’m just like one of yous, a normal guy and I still am. It’s easier that way. If I did look back, I’d get scared I think.”

Gascoigne shakes hands with Lazio president Giorgio Calleri
Gascoigne shakes hands with Lazio president Giorgio Calleri

'The Pope phoned me. He didn't understand Geordie...'

Gascoigne reconnected with Italy a couple of years later when he signed for Lazio. An adventure filled with highs, lows and, of course, mischief.

“Nobody knows this but [ahead of] the semi-final, in the tunnel going out to play Germany, I got stopped by the owner of Juventus. They wanted me to sign for Juventus after the World Cup – and I was thinking ‘I’ve got this World Cup semi-final to play!’

“When I got back that fell through and then it was Lazio and I thought I’d go out there. After about 15 games playing for Lazio I went, ‘Oh wow, this is the stadium where I played the semi-final!’ I didn’t realise! That’s how much I was thinking about the game.

“Going out there was a challenge. The training was twice as hard out there. But then I started enjoying it, picked up a bit of the language – I can’t speak English, never mind Italian! – but then I broke my fibula and tibia. I got fit from that. Then I did my cheekbone. And I got fit from that. Then I started playing really well.

“Things in Italy were incredible. I got phone calls from everyone. The Pope wanted to meet me. I was training and they said, ‘There’s a phone call for you. You better take it – it’s the Pope!’ I remember picking the phone up and saying, ‘Hi Pope!’ He didn’t understand Geordie but I managed to get to the Vatican with my mam and dad to see him, that was nice.

“I enjoyed it playing in that weather and we had a great team. They looked after us and knew I had a bit of a character. The best one I did was to Roberto Di Matteo...

“We were training twice a day. I went home in the afternoon and there was a little snake in my villa. I stunned it a little bit and went into the training ground, waited until the lads went out training and put this snake in his pocket.

“After training I went, ‘Di Matteo can I borrow £10 please until the morning?’ He put his hand in his pocket and he went ‘What’s that?!’

"I had some crazy times but I enjoyed it. Four great years.”

A once in a lifetime experience

Gascoigne’s favourite England players of the current generation? Jack Grealish is perhaps unsurprisingly the first name mentioned. “Lethal centre-forward” Harry Kane follows and then Phil Foden.

But his poignant message for this England group is to make the most of their World Cup experience – because you don’t know if you’ll ever get another one. Gascoigne didn’t.

England’s failure to qualify for USA 94 and his snub by Glenn Hoddle ahead of France 98 meant Italia 90 was Gascoigne’s one World Cup appearance.

“I tell the players today going out to the World Cup, treat every day as your last day because you never know,” he says. “We were so close to going out, scraped through and then we never looked back. It was unfortunate we got beat on penalties but a great squad, a great team.

“I find it hard even to see the adverts on TV because it brings back memories, memories no one can take away from us. You try not to look in the past – but I do.”

Three decades on Gascoigne still treasures his summer in Italy. Will Gareth Southgate's team feel the same way about Qatar in 32 years time?

Italia 90: Four Weeks that Changed the World will air on Sky Documentaries and will be available on streaming service NOW