Genius on the pitch, but first in the pub

Of course you remember Paul Gascoigne playing… Who doesn’t. He was the midfield maestro. He was creative and hard-working player. He had a great technique and powerful shot. He could turn things around in every single game. And Gascoigne could have even a better career if he was more… maybe ‘pattern’ is the correct word.
Let’s take a look in the past and see what he has achieved. He scored 110 goals in 468 club matches, including the cup games. He has also won 57 caps for The Three Lions and has scored 10 goals for the English national team. Paul Gascoigne won the 4th place in FIFA World Cup 1990 with England and reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1996.
His biggest success at club stage is winning The FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991 and The Scottish Premier League (2) with Rangers. But how is possible, such a technically-gifted player like Gazza to win just a few major trophies? He revealed in his autobiographies that he has had a bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and something well known (alcoholism). Gazza is also a very addictive person. He has several addictions, but I, personally, can’t decide which one is the worst…
With such a lifestyle, his days had become very difficult. He had a divorce with his wife Sheryl, after being married from 1996 to 1998.
On the other hand, his glory on the pitch made him the second most liked person in England in 1990. He signed an exclusive deal with ‘The Sun’ and established Paul Gascoigne Promotions, hiring a big number of staff to handle the requests.
It’s interesting that, he played last for Boston United in The League Two (2004), but he left the team because Boston’s chiefs didn’t allow him participate in the TV show ‘I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!’
And finally, he decided to become a manager. The team he took was Kettering Town in 2005. The bookies were taking bets if he can stay till Christmas. And can you guess how long he stayed? 39 days! However, he wasn’t paid for his work, because, according to the boss, he was drunk all the time he worked.
Gazza had told that killer Raoul Moat was his brother in 2010. But, he did it after snorting 14 lines of cocaine. Can you imagine? 14 lines! And he is still alive!
So, what is the lesson? Play like Gazza, learn from him about football. But, please, don’t act like him outside the football pitch!