Paul Gascoigne (Gateshead, May 27, 1967) is one of the iconic players in English soccer and one of the most talented in the last 50 years. Although he never developed his full potential due to his controversial character on and off the field. Alcohol and drugs were present during and after a brilliant career, but that could have led him to the Olympus of soccer if he had been more disciplined. That character of the former midfielder from Newcastle and Tottenham, among others, in addition to the English team, gave an innumerable amount of anecdotes, many of them collected by the journalist John Richardson in 'Our Gazza: The Untold Tales' (Our Gazza: the stories never told). He Daily Mail highlights one of the most famous, the 'clash' between Vinnie Jones, one of the most violent footballers who have campaigned for a pitch, and Gazza.
Gascoigne had previously recounted part of the affront crowned by a grab on his parts: “He approached me and said: 'My name is Vinnie Jones, I am a gypsy, I earn a lot of money. I am going to tear your ear off with my teeth and I will spit on the grass. You're alone, fat man! ” However, the book picks up the story surrounding the iconic photograph in its entirety in the words of the multifaceted Vinnie Jones (once retired he went to the movies). Before reproducing what happened, let's contextualize a bit. Jones found his private hunting ground at Wimbledon, and three months before he was proclaimed FA Cup champion in 1988 against Liverpool, he rose to fame for his arts when it came to stopping the then-star of Newcastle. This is how it all happened:
“I grabbed him by you know where and hit the nail on the head. No games, right on target”
Vinnie Jones explaining 'the move'
“The first thing I said to him when I approached him was that he wasn't going to play soccer, and neither was he. Then I left, adding: 'Hey, chubby, I'm coming for you in a minute'. Monte Franceso, the journalist who took THE photo of me and Gazza, listened to him and decided to focus on us the rest of the match. “
“Newcastle had a direct free kick in his favor and he didn't want Gazza to move towards the ball. He suddenly said to me: 'You're earning your £ 100 today.' It was an insult to me and I grabbed him by you know where and hit the Nail. No games, right on target, and I didn't let him go. “
FOOTBALL 10/11 Vinnie Jones grabs the parts of Paul Gascoigne at a 1988 Wimbledon-Newcastle.
DAILY AS (DAILY AS)
“The game ended 0-0, so I guess everyone would be delighted with what I did, since there wasn't much more to talk about. In the dressing room, after the match, the boys congratulated me saying that I had done a great job with Gazza. “
That is the story, told by its protagonist, of one of the most famous and controversial photographs in the history of football. Vinnie Jones in its purest form.