Madness at the Cup Final: The Enduring Tragedy of Paul Gascoigne

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports UK.

When the average person thinks of Paul Gascoigne now, they think of the alcoholic. They think of the hunched, emaciated man in the tabloids; the chronic addiction; the domestic violence; the mental illness; the marathon drinking sessions and the inevitable stays in hospital. A certain generation of fans remember him for his football, but most of his on-pitch exploits have fallen behind a bleak curtain of abuse. It's easy to forget that he was once a fresh-faced youngster, an artless lad from Gateshead, a bewildering midfield talent, and England's brightest hope.

Many trace the turning point in his career back to 18 May 1991, when Nottingham Forest took on Tottenham, and a 24-year-old Gazza, in the FA Cup Final. It was a year after England's valiant efforts at Italia '90, the tournament that made Gascoigne a superstar. He had inspired Bobby Robson's team to the semi-finals of the World Cup, playing with incredible verve and flair in the middle of the park. Then, in an epic contest against West Germany, Gazza picked up his second booking of the knockout stages – a caution that ensured he would be suspended for the final.

He cried, and so the people took him to their hearts.

While England lost that match on penalties, Gascoigne was determined not to miss out on the FA Cup. Once again, he had driven his team to the brink of a memorable success. While Spurs would finish 10th in the league that season, Gazza's exploits made sure of their progression in the cup. In the semi-final, he scored a sublime free kick against title-winners Arsenal, celebrating maniacally in front of the fans.

Spurs beat their North London rivals 3-1, and set up a grand finale against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest. Clough's side had undergone something of a renaissance in the few years previous, and had finished five points ahead of Tottenham in the league. With neither team clear favourites, the game looked set to be a tight affair. The tension on matchday was palpable, and more than Gascoigne could bear.

Gazza was already renowned for his erratic behaviour at this point. While he was a guileless youngster, he was also a fizzing firecracker; a ball of nervous energy at all times. He suffered from intense insomnia, such was his overexcitement before big matches. He claimed to have taken medication the night before the final, in a last-ditch effort to calm himself down.

If Gazza had managed to come down off the ceiling that night, he was excited to the point of delirium in the build up to the match. With his teammates goading him on – trying to get a rise out of a lad who was already sky high – he went into the match in a state of frenzy. This was made manifest after only a few minutes, when he planted his studs into the chest of Garry Parker. Today, it would have merited an instant red card. As it was, referee Roger Milford only gave Gascoigne a brief talking to.

Then, on the 15 minute mark, a moment of madness changed the course of Gazza's career. With Forest right-back Gary Charles picking up the ball just outside the Spurs box, Gazza steamed into him with a reckless, shin-high challenge. While Charles was sent hurtling to the ground, he managed to escape unhurt. Gazza, meanwhile, was left crumpled on the turf. He had ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee, and would spend the next 16 months on the sidelines.

It's certainly fair to say that the injury changed Gascoigne's career. He would never regain his previous levels of fitness, and was plagued by recurring problems all the way through to his retirement in 2004. While his drinking can't have helped his recovery time – indeed, he exacerbated his Cup Final injury during a scrap in a Newcastle nightclub a few months later – contemporary treatment was hit and miss. Despite remaining a fan favourite wherever he played, he never reached the heights he seemed destined for.

In what now seems like a rather cruel exchange, Jimmy Hill and Des Lynam lambasted Gascoigne after the match. Hill called his tackling "inexcusable", while Lynam even went as far as to say that "what happened to him, he's brought upon himself." If they had known quite how devastating the injury would turn out to be, they might have thought twice about delivering so harsh a judgement. Gazza had been thoughtless and foolhardy, but only after a childlike fashion.

Jimmy Hill and Des Lynam discuss Gazza from 0:55 onward

While the 1991 Cup Final might seem like a pivotal moment in his sporting life, Gascoigne's downfall was anything but instantaneous. As an immature youngster – a lad already displaying the telltale signs of anxiety, depression and potential bipolar disorder – his environment made such a disastrous incident almost inevitable. With teammates egging him on, with the press following his every move, with constant exposure and limitless scrutiny dogging him wherever he went, Gazza was at breaking point. There was no support system in place at the time, nowhere he could really go for help. His tackle on Gary Charles was the culmination of his chaotic circumstances, the action of a man who was physically and psychologically out of control.

This is the enduring tragedy of Paul Gascoigne. Though he endangered numerous others on the path to self-destruction, his surroundings were always going to be his undoing. As well as being artless and daft, he was also hyperactive and unable to cope with the incessant pressures of the beautiful game. In the early '90s, footballers were not given the counselling and guidance they are today. Gazza could have done with that guidance, but was ultimately goaded on and whipped up with the same thoughtless machismo as everyone else.

When former teammates reminisce about Gazza, they almost all wish that they had put an arm around him; wish that they had somehow been able to help. Speaking about the 1991 final after the event, erstwhile Spurs defender Gary Mabbutt said of Gascoigne: "I'm sure that if I'd seen [the tackle on Garry Parker] in replays, then I would hopefully have had a word with Paul and perhaps tried to calm him down." As it was, Gascoigne remained fired up. A few minutes later, the inevitable happened.

@W_F_Magee