02 February 2024 , 18:18
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Paul Gascoigne's Geordie accent was so strong when he joined Tottenham Hotspur that he had to use Chris Waddle as a translator.
The England legend was just 21 when he signed for Spurs in 1988 for £2.2million, then a British record fee. He said: “No one could understand a word I was saying. They had to get Chris Waddle to translate for me at training. It was really embarrassing.”
Fellow England star Chris, who now works as a pundit and commentator was also from Gateshead, which is Gazza’s hometown. When Paul moved to Italy for £5.5m in 1992, to join Lazio, he recalled then manager, the Italian legend Dino Zoff, interrupting training for a phone call.
Spurs colleague Chris Waddle (Getty Images)
Gascoigne and Waddle in 1988 (Mirrorpix)“He said ‘Gazza, there is a call for you,” recalled Paul, now living near Bournemouth, Dorset. “So I said ‘just ask him to ring back’. He said: ‘you don’t understand, you have to take it.’ I said ‘but I am getting ready for training boss’. Then he said: ‘It’s the Pope’.”
John Paul II was a goalkeeper in his youth in his native Poland and was keen to meet Gazza, then one of the most famous players in the world. Paul recalled: “I don’t know why but I said ‘Hello Popey!’ It turned out the Pope wanted an audience with Gazza.”
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He later attended the Vatican with his mum Carol, 80, and dad John, who died in 2018. But one of his funniest encounters was when he went toe to toe with former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in Dunston, Gateshead.
Boxer Mike, then 41, was doing a personal appearance on Tyneside back in 2008 and turned up at his mum’s home to visit him. Gazza said: “I could hear a man outside shouting: ‘Gazza, are you in?’ in an American accent.
“When I opened the bedroom window, there was Mike Tyson standing in the street. I thought ‘f*** me, ‘it’s Mike Tyson’ and went down to meet him. We ended up going out for my birthday. It was handy as you don’t get into any trouble with Mike Tyson [around].”
Gazza playing for Spurs in 1988 (Mirrorpix)It turned out Mike wanted to offer his help to Gazza after his own problems at the end of his career. He said: “I know all about Gazza. I feel I can help him. A lot of top sportsmen have suffered in their private lives, including me, and I want to help.”
The Mirror told yesterday how Gazza had sent a message of support to troubled Marcus Rashford. He warned him: “Don’t make the same mistakes as me. “I bounced back, and that is what Marcus has to do.”
Gazza was fined £40,000 at Lazio in Italy after taking his family to Euro Disney when he was due to train. Football fans have expressed fears for Marcus’s future after he missed training after a night out in Belfast. Star striker Marcus came back to score in Manchester United's thrilling 4-3 win over Wolves on Thursday.