Paul Gascoigne had more natural talent than perhaps any other footballer England has ever produced.
He also has a larger-than-life personality that few can match up to, meaning that wherever he went, there would usually be equal measures of chaos, laughter and mischief to follow.
From his days coming up through the youth system at Newcastle United to his time at major tournaments with England, Gazza’s reputation as a prankster always preceded him.
Gazza on the prank that left him out of pocket
FourFourTwo even went as far as producing the top 50 Gazza stories back in 2021 and it’s therefore inevitable that not every prank that the 58-year-old pulled off during his career landed as he intended.
Gascoigne spent three seasons with Rangers between 1995 and 1998 and it was during this period that one of his practical jokes ended up costing him dearly.
“I had to buy a new car for Gordon Durie,” he tells FourFourTwo, wincing at how much it set him back. “I’d put two trout in his car after training, and the smell was so bad that the chairman made me buy him a new car.”
And how much did that set him back?
“Seventeen grand that cost me!,” Gazza recoils, before adding in another piece of trademark dark humour. “It was still cheaper than the other f**king trout I f**king divorced…
That is one of countless stories from Gazza’s storied 20-year career that saw him turn out for nine clubs across four countries, while winning 57 England caps.
Paul Gascoigne: Eight (published by Reach Sport) is on sale now in print, ebook and audiobook
