22 August 2014 in Dorset, a small county in the southwest of the United Kingdom.
A drunken man suddenly fell to the ground drunk, still clutching vodka in his hand. The white hair on his head and the wrinkles that slowly climbed up his forehead made passers-by also feel unbearable for the "old man", and they picked up their mobile phones, and then the drunk man was taken to the hospital.
Gascoin, 47, was photographed looking like he was 74
On the hospital's medical list, Paul Gascoin is a true portrayal of the identity of this "old man".
Paul Gascoyne, a talented player with a strong personality, is the most imaginative genius in the history of English football and is also known as The Most Talented Player in England since Bobby Charlton.
Gascoyne was unreasonable on the flanks
Gascoyne 1 vs 6 is like going into no man's land
In 1988, at the age of 21, Gascoin was selected for the Three Lions, and what really made Gaza (Gascoin) famous was the Italian summer of 1990, from the group stage to the quarter-finals, and Gascoin, who was the core of the midfield, repeatedly played the role of savior. It was not until the semi-finals that the Three Lions were eliminated by the more powerful West German team, and Gascoin's tears were as sincere and deplorable as children, which became the eternal memory of the Italian summer.
Summer in Italy: Gaza in Tears
During Lazio's time Gascovin was "criminal" outstanding
Subsequently, while playing in Italy and Scotland, Gazza also helped Lazio and Rangers lift a series of important trophies, and was named Scotland's Footballer of the Year in 1995.
Euro 96 Gascoin's goal against Scotland
In 1996, at the European Championships held on home, Gaza, as the main and core, once again led the team through the barrier and scored the most exciting goal in the European Championship so far in the group stage against Scotland. Although England failed to make it to the end, Gascoigne was also selected for the best squad at this European Championship.
The football genius, who was once hailed as a rare football talent in Britain in 20 years, has now fallen into such a situation, which makes it difficult for many people present to believe and surprise.
In fact, in Gascoin's past professional football career, there has been such an experience that is "unbelievable", and even the British will use words such as "Oh my god" to describe it.
Lanzhou, also known as Jincheng, is located in the Longzhong Basin and is the second largest city in northwest China.
When it comes to the city, "Silk Road," "Yellow River," and "Lanzhou Ramen" are often her best modifiers.
For outsiders, when it comes to Gansu and Lanzhou, most people's first impression is: "Oh, is there a lot of water shortage over there?" After all, Lanzhou, which is located in the northwest inland, is difficult to enjoy the baptism of moist water vapor from the eastern coastal area.
Football, for the people of Gansu and for the people of Lanzhou, is also like water, scarce and beautiful.
In 1999, at the turn of the century, the "football desert" Gansu ushered in its first local club, Gansu Tianma. In the following two seasons, the team's delay in breaking through the first division and the transition from amateur to professional leagues greatly reduced the enthusiasm of the fans.
At the end of 2001, Gansu Tianma, who was not willing to fail again, made a change, borrowed the shell to rush the first division, and directly acquired the first B team Tianjin Lifei, so far, Gansu football has also ushered in another milestone moment.
In 2002, after a year of hard work, Gansu Tianma became the deputy squad leader of the league at the end of the season, fortunately, the Football Association cancelled the elevator system that year, and the Pegasus team was able to continue to stay in The First Division B, which also laid the groundwork for their subsequent big moves.
"Despite our initial concerns, we decided to bring him in after much deliberation, and I think that Gascoin's joining will not only strengthen the prestige of Gansu Tianma, but also a huge boost to the backward provinces in northwest football"!
Gascoigne joined Gansu Pegasus
On January 26, 2003, three words that could not be beaten by A B, Gansu Tianma and Gascoin appeared in the media at the same time - "Gansu Tianma Club officially announced that former England superstar Gascoin joined the team". Such a piece of news, like an atomic bomb, instantly caused a sensation at home and abroad, and the eyes of the world football world suddenly turned to the desert land on the football map - Lanzhou.
From england's former pride of heaven, I suddenly came to Lanzhou, which is "deserted" in the "football desert". Gascoyne's official announcement not only surprised the Chinese people to the point that their jaws fell, but even the British media, who were accustomed to seeing the wind and waves, called out in disbelief: "Even in Britain, people still can't figure out why Paul went to distant China, but also in Lanzhou." I bet there won't be more than a hundred people in the UK who know about Lanzhou. ”
The local media, Lanzhou Evening News and Lanzhou Morning News, used 3 large pages to report Gascoyne's official announcement, and one reporter even ridiculed it: "This year, there is no news to write, there is Gascoin, and some of the news is."
It is fitting that the official announcement coincided with the final preparation stage of the Spring Festival Gala in 2003, and in order to do a special program for the Spring Festival, CCTV needed to find several members of the national football team born in the Year of the Goat to pay tribute to the people of the whole country. Because there were not many players in the national football team at that time, the final program team actually thought of Gascoin, who also belonged to the sheep, and once listed him as an invitation.
Unfortunately, due to the transfer procedures and the winter training plan, the marriage between the Spring Festival Gala and Gascoin could not be realized.
"He's 36 years old, he's been an alcoholic for a long time, he's had 27 surgeries in his career and he's been training in the system for almost a year, so it's pure hype for you to bring him in."
Gaza, who joined Gansu Tianma, has lost his shape
Gascoin's joining will inevitably be put on the hat of one kind or another by the outside world, for such a voice of doubt, a Pegasus club official appeared very frank: "Pegasus Club is beyond reproach, next year (2004) is the national Olympic year, but also the Women's World Cup, the domestic football industry focuses on the A A Super League battle, the innocuous A B League is almost abandoned, if you want to stand out, you have to hype yourself, especially small clubs like Pegasus should be more ingenious, spend 3 million yuan to buy a year of advertising, worth! ”[1]
Some voices in the Pegasus team seem to confirm the original intention of the club: "What else can he do when he is so old?" He used to be amazing, and his experience and awareness were not fake, but I couldn't see it well! And people are big names, we can't afford to offend in the training ground, and we don't dare to get off our feet."
Gaza (Gascoin), who is involved, is optimistic: "I finally accepted the invitation from China because this is a country that interests me very much, and I want to usher in a new era here." ”
'Gaza is the best player in our team, better than the young Chinese players, he is definitely a real professional player."
Gong Lei, who was the first manager, took up the coaching whip of his coaching career in 2003, as the only Chinese player who was nominated by the World Footballer of the Year, the first team he coached was Gansu Tianma, which owned Gascoin.
After signing with the team, Gascoin came to Guangzhou shortly after to start preparing for the new season with the team.
After coming to Yangcheng, Gaza changed his previous state of training sluggishness and lethargy as if he had not woken up.
According to the report of the relevant team reporter at the time: "He was always the first to arrive at the training ground, the last to leave the stadium, taking the initiative to ask for additional training, no matter how tired he was, he never reduced the intensity of training, hoping that the coach would treat himself and other players equally." Every time he worked out, Gazza worked the hardest, and when other players were lazy and slippery, Gazza insisted on gritting his teeth. After 2 minutes of push-ups, Gaza always insisted until the last second, while the rest of the team had already secretly fallen to the ground. ”
Letting go of the aura of the former star and focusing on every training session, Gascoin has gradually gained the approval of his teammates. "Gaza" has also become a kind nickname for him by his Chinese teammates.
Crazy ball city in Lanzhou
On March 15, two months after the official announcement, Gansu Tianma, who had finished winter training, also set off home. Gascoin, who Lanzhou fans are looking forward to, also returned to his home stadium - Lanzhou for the first time with the team.
When Gaza stepped on the ancient land of Lanzhou, he was greeted first by the long guns and short cannons of 50 or 60 reporters; then, when the bus of the whole team of Horses came to the hotel that day, hundreds of fans gathered in front of the hotel and shouted Gascoin's name in unison; it was incredible that the ceremonial band specially arranged by the Pegasus Club to welcome Gascoin completely collapsed because of Gaza's arrival. The band chose to strike en masse, throwing away their instruments, pulling out pens and notebooks they had prepared long ago, and squeezing into the crowd to get Gascoyne's autograph, and the scene was almost crazy.
"Gascoign scored!"
With the shouts of newspaper boys all over the streets, Gascoin has also become the focus of discussion in the streets and alleys of Lanzhou.
On March 29, Gascoin finally ushered in his Chinese debut. Prior to this, Gaza had the opportunity to play in the first round of the FA Cup and A B, but in order to express the love of Lanzhou fans, Gaza deliberately chose his debut at Lanzhou's Qilihe Stadium.
The Seven Mile River of this game has flooded more than 30,000 fans early, and Gascoigne's debut did not disappoint the fans.
Gascoin, who swung his arm high after the goal
Gascoin's debut was admired by the fans
In the opening 5th minute, Gaza won a penalty for the team; in the 14th minute, Gascoin cut off the ball of the Qingdao player through his own positive counterattack in the front, and then passed a person to complete the fatal left foot; in the second half, it was Gaza again, who used his personal ability to assist his teammates and seal the victory for the team.
1 goal 1 assist to create 1 penalty, so MVP level performance, but also let the audience directly addicted, the little caddie on the spot also rushed into the first time after the game, chasing Gaza to sign.
After the game, in an interview, Gaza did not covet the credit, and attributed the credit for the victory to the head coach Gong Lei: "I was very serious throughout the game, I was an obedient player, and the coach told me to do whatever I wanted. I don't think I let the fans down. Today is really important because I haven't played in 10 months. ”
Such a stunning debut naturally made Gascoin attract more media interviews. At this time, the Pegasus team still did not forget the original intention, once again started the idea of Gaza, and made clear requirements for the media that declared the interview or interviewed Gascoin: "If you want to interview Gascoin, each media needs to pay an interview fee of 600 US dollars" [2][3], at the exchange rate of 1 to 8 at that time, it is equivalent to nearly 5,000 yuan of expenditure for an interview.
It is worth mentioning that in 2003, the average price of commercial housing in Beijing was less than 4500 / square, so such a "huge" interview fee really frightened many media.
In fact, as early as the first round of the league, the relevant staff of the Pegasus Club have seen such business opportunities.
When Gansu Tianma arrived in Wuhan, in the face of many media pursuit of Gascoin, Tianma refused. However, a reporter from the media successfully interviewed Gaza by paying a coach of the Pegasus team about 1,000 yuan.
After the interview, head coach Gong Lei also made it clear that the rationality of this charge: "Because Gascoin is a well-known and influential star, he belongs to the resources of the club after joining the Gansu Tianma team, and it is clearly stipulated in the contract between the two sides that he must be agreed by the club and the coaching staff before he can be interviewed by the media." In addition, if it is a commercial interview, the club will also make a commission according to the proportion stipulated in the contract. ”[4]
Since then, Gascoin has also continued his good form, the second home of the league, in the Gansu Tianma game against the Guangdong Eagles, Gaza once again helped the team score.
When Lanzhou fans and Chinese fans thought that the former English genius could really play their afterglow in Lanzhou and in this football desert, Gaza at this time left China, and this walk was gone forever.
Travel to Gascoin in the United States for treatment
"I'm so ashamed, I'm sorry, I can't quit"!
Gaza, who returned to England during the break, suffered another episode of alcoholism.
"Sometimes drinking alcohol relieves pain, and sometimes the next day the pain comes again."
In order to treat the effects of alcohol and return to the green field he loved, Gascoin chose to go to the famous Meadows Clinic in the United States for treatment.
The irresistibleness of alcohol makes Gaza basically become a wine jar when he gets on the plane, and the bottle cap is not separated from the mouth.
When the news of Gaza's addiction to alcohol again and his overdue return to China reached China, Zhong Bohong, general manager of the Pegasus club, admitted: "Gascoin relied on 'necessary drugs' for alcohol suppression during his time in China, but in fact he did not completely quit his addiction. ”
At the same time, Zhong Bohong also stressed that Gaza has explained the situation to the team in advance, and after the treatment is completed, he will return to the team again.
During his treatment in the United States, the dedicated Gascoyne also brought a physical trainer to accompany him to the United States, and he had to undergo physical training every morning and afternoon, and he practiced very hard.
On June 10, this was the deadline for Gaza's return to the team, but gascoin was not seen at Lanzhou's Qilihe Stadium.
"Gascoin didn't get his salary in April and May. Gansu Tianma promised to pay, but has not acted. ”
Gascoyne's agent used reasons such as "depression" and "team arrears" to prevaricate the club, and stressed that gascoin's salary and related business activities need to be paid in full before Gaza is likely to return to the team.
For Gaza's requirements, Zhang Tongpo, general manager of Pegasus Club, did not buy it, and he insisted on using legal means to protect the rights and interests of the Pegasus team.
Eventually, under fifa arbitration, Pegasus peacefully broke up with Gascoin. The former continued to struggle on the road to relegation in A B, while the latter went to the richer UAE to pan for gold.
After leaving China, Gaza was treated at the Monastery Hospital
After the breakup, Gansu Tianma and Gascoin seemed to have suddenly fallen into the trough of life.
Gansu Tianma moved from Lanzhou to Ningbo, then to Dongguan, and finally ended with disbandment.
As for Gaza? Now he was still the "bad boy", drunk and crazy all the time, until one day, when he reappeared, Gaza put on a bathrobe, no shoes or underwear, and a necklace hanging from his neck, looking at the past from a distance, like a bad old man who had entered an ancient age.
Gascoin
Passers-by looked at each other in amazement: "So, is that really Paul Gascoin?" ”
【Wonderful Review of Past Periods of the Ancient Events】
Ref：
ZHANG Song. News Evening News. "Gansu signs Gascoigne Insiders don't think so: just hype".2003, 1, 27
Beijing Youth Daily. "The $600 Interview with Gaza is Too Funny".2003, 4, 4
[3] Han. Ball Newspaper. "A Thousand Dollar Interview Fee + Beauty Gets Gaza Paid Interview Surprises A B First Round".2003, 3, 24
Yan Song Zhao Xinming. Oriental Sports Daily. "Gaza the Drunkard: Drinking All the Way to the United States to Cure a Stubborn Disease", 2003, 4, 17