When you reach a level of stardom as Paul Gascoigne did during his playing career, you are never going to be short of admirers.
His performances for England at the 1990 World Cup saw him transcend mere football stardom, as ‘Gazzamania’ swept the country and propelled Gascoigne to the status of being a household name.
Even now, at 58 years old, more than two decades after his retirement as a player, it’s difficult for him to be out and about without being stopped constantly, albeit nearly always by fans who want to say nice things to him.
Gazza on his best fan encounters
He says one person even dropped to the ground in worship not long ago at a supermarket.
“Some guy walked up behind me with his two kids, got on his knees and started crying,” he tells FourFourTwo. “I thought, ‘Get up mate, your kids will think I f**king hit you!’ He was crying his eyes out. I get that a lot with fans.”
Today, whenever the former midfielder meets fans at speaking events, they lift him. “They give me a little boost,” he says. Photo requests can be unusual, though – one even involved a glass eye.
“A guy went, ‘If I give you something, can I have a selfie with it?’” Gazza says. “He pulled his f**king eye out and said ‘Can you hold that?’”
Odd things don’t just happen when he’s at events, either. “The other day I went to the bank for something, and the guy asked for my f**king identity, then asked for a f**king selfie!” he says.
Such fame is far from straightforward, though. “It’s dealing with everything,” he says.
“Sometimes it’s difficult and sometimes I snap. It’s great to become famous, but in England, once you’re a celebrity, that’s it, they try to knock you down. I’ve had to deal with constant lies being written about me.”
The attention he gets when he goes out and about also means he’ll often retreat back home, preferring the peace and quiet of his own company.
“I get pestered every two minutes when I go outside in public,” he admits. “I spend a lot of time on my own, maybe too much, just in the house. It’s a shame because the trout lake is about 45 minutes away and by the time I pay £95 for that – I always go for four trout – I catch them within 10 f**king minutes, they’re like, ‘Wow’, then I get the taxi home again.
“But I enjoy fly fishing – it takes my mind away from everything else.”
Paul Gascoigne: Eight (published by Reach Sport) is on sale now in print, ebook and audiobook
