Paul Gascoigne is reportedly in a “stable” condition after being rushed to hospital following a collapse at his luxury seaside flat.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and England star, 58, was found semi-conscious by a friend in his home in Poole, Dorset.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit at Poole Hospital but is now recovering in an acute medical unit, according to The Sun.
Steve Foster, who found Gascoigne, said: “He would like to thank everyone for the support he’s received so far from so many old friends who wish him well and want to see him back to his best.”
Mr Foster, who also works as his chauffeur, added: “Paul is in hospital, which is the best possible place for him to be right now.”
Gascoigne is regarded as one of England’s greatest midfielders having earned 57 caps for the Three Lions between 1988 and 1998, scoring 10 goals.
Having come through the ranks at Newcastle United, Gascoigne joined Spurs in 1988 and would lift the FA Cup three years later.
The playmaker would go on to play for the likes of Lazio in Italy, Rangers in Scotland and Dongguan Dongcheng in China.
Recently, Gascoigne described himself as “a sad drunk” who attends Alcoholics Anonymous following years of personal issues.
He told Jake Humphrey’s High Performance Podcast last year how he had been staying in his agent’s spare bedroom.
“The things I’ve put myself through, I’m lucky to still be sitting here,” Gascoigne said. “I’ve spent a lot of years being down, when I did my ligaments and then my knee-cap, I missed four years of football.”
Speaking about his battle with alcoholism, Gascoigne added: “I don’t blame anyone, I used to blame a lot of people when I was drinking. ‘It’s f***ing because he did that. Because such-and-such did this’.
“I did the 12 steps and one of the steps was to meet the person you blamed and apologise to them.
“What I put myself through and other people, jail and rehab – taking cocaine off toilet seats – and then I’m asked to be ambassador for my country, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
