Stars of the ’90s: No 10, Paul Gascoigne

Published on 27/11/2012 22:57

PAUL Gascoigne was, of course, a household name long before he signed for Rangers in July 1995 for £4.3 million. From his tears with England at Italia ’90 to his spells at Newcastle, Tottenham and Lazio, “Gazza” had been making headlines – good and bad – for years.

The midfielder was 28 when he arrived at Ibrox and went on to score 39 goals in 103 games. He didn’t take long to settle, scoring in a 4-0 friendly win over Steaua Bucharest on his home debut, and in his fourth league match he notched a stunning goal in a 2-0 victory over Celtic.

Gascoigne will perhaps be best remembered by Rangers fans for what happened at Ibrox on 28 April, 1996. With Rangers 1-0 down to Aberdeen, Gazza took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win that sealed the title.

There were other memorable moments – like when he was booked for showing a yellow card to referee Dougie Smith in a 7-0 win over Hibs – before Gascoigne joined Middlesbrough in March 1998 for £3.45m.