There are no shortage of stories about Paul Gascoigne’s glamorous life, but one of the England legend’s most outlandish tales was published before he really burst onto the scene.
Paul Gascoigne has opened up about the hit-and-run incident he was behind the wheel of before rushing to the scene at Newcastle United. Gascoigne, 58, recently published a new book reflecting on the ups and downs of his life.
Much of the story has already been told ahead of time, either in the press or told by himself or his teammates. But the Tottenham Hotspur and England legend has revealed a bizarre story about how he hit a man with his car while driving some girls home with a friend.
Gascoigne, along with his best friend Jimmy Gardiner, with whom he frequently played pranks, crashed his car into another man crossing the road and was taken before the police and court before driving off in a panic.
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This came as he progressed into Newcastle’s first team and various Magpies legends were talking about him as the next big star at St James’ Park. In a book serialized in the Daily Mail, Mr Gascoigne said: “Despite my foolish behavior off the pitch, I quickly became one of the most recognizable faces in football and every club in the country wanted me.
“My partner in crime was often my best friend Jimmy Gardiner, or Jimmy Five Berrys, as I nicknamed him because he was the same height as me and weighed about 30 stone more.
“My first trouble with the police was when Jimmy convinced me to drive some girls home in his Mini, even though I didn’t have a license yet.
“I ended up knocking over a guy who was crossing the road in front of me. I stopped the car and ran over and I saw him moving. At least I didn’t kill him. But then I panicked and drove away.
“I’m sure I wasn’t thinking straight and I was scared of getting into trouble with Newcastle United. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but when I got the snooker signal I decided to pretend someone else was driving and broke the window of the car.
“But when the police tracked me down, that wasn’t acceptable. Me and Jimmy had to go to court over it. I was fined and had demerit points added to my licence, even though I didn’t have a license yet.”
Trouble was not over for Gascoigne. After the law had dealt with him and given him a slap on the wrist, the powers that be in Newcastle had their own lesson they wanted to admonish.
Paul Gascoigne Eight (published by Reach Sport) is on sale October 23rd – get your copy here
Fortunately, there was one factor that could have stopped the Magpies from Gascoigne and his antics. He added: “The worst part was being punished by Newcastle United chairman Gordon McKeag. He told me, ‘If it happens again, you’re out.’
“But it would have been very difficult for them to let me go, especially with guys like club legend Jackie Milburn raving about me on TV. “I don’t think I’ve seen a player as good as this player in about 35 years, but his skills are unbelievable,” he said.
“‘He’s got it all, he’s got it all. He’s going the extra mile. Nothing can hold him back, he’s the best in the world.’ When I heard that, I couldn’t get over it. I just thought, ‘Wow.’ I couldn’t believe that someone as special as Jackie thought so highly of me. ”
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