Paul Gascoigne (1985–2004, Newcastle United / Tottenham Hotspur / Lazio / Rangers / Middlesbrough / Everton)

Paul John Gascoigne was born in Gateshead on 27 May 1967. Signed by Newcastle United as a schoolboy in 1980, Gascoigne turned professional in 1984 and made his First Division debut in 1985 under manager Jack Charlton.

Named PFA Young Player of the Year for the 1987–88 season, Gascoigne was sold to Tottenham Hotspur in 1988 for a British-record fee, widely reported at £2.2 million. At Spurs, he won the FA Cup in 1991, scoring a celebrated long-range free-kick against Arsenal in the semi-final at Wembley, before suffering a serious knee injury in the final against Nottingham Forest.

His move to Lazio, agreed before the final, was delayed by a year as a result, with the Italian club eventually paying £5.5 million in 1992.

Gascoigne joined Rangers in July 1995 for £4.3 million, winning two Scottish Premier Division titles, a Scottish Cup, and a Scottish League Cup. Named Scottish FWA Footballer of the Year in 1996, he scored one of the tournament’s most memorable goals against Scotland at Euro 96 that summer.

A £3.4 million move to Middlesbrough followed in 1998, and he subsequently had spells at Everton, Burnley, Gansu Tianma and Boston United before retiring.

Gascoigne earned 57 England caps and scored ten goals between 1988 and 1998. His tears after receiving a booking in the 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany became one of the defining images of that tournament. Glenn Hoddle controversially omitted him from the 1998 World Cup squad, ending his international career.

Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1990, Gascoigne was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame as an inaugural inductee in 2002.

Paul Gascoigne – Rookie Cards and Other Key Early Issues

Gascoigne’s rookie-year card and sticker discussion centres on the 1986–87 season at Newcastle United. Two confirmed contemporary issues lead the run: the 1986-87 Panini Football 87 #190 sticker, widely treated by collectors as his key rookie issue, and the 1986-87 Daily Mirror Stick With Soccer newspaper sticker issue.

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The 1986–87 Daily Mirror Stick With Soccer stickers were issued unnumbered. The set is known with two back types — without biography and with biography — and both Gascoigne versions are recognised by collectors and grading checklists.

The next confirmed early issues continue the Newcastle period: 1987 Emlyn Hughes Team Tactix #11 and 1987-88 Panini Football 88 #159, both showing Gascoigne before his move to Tottenham. The 1988 Daily Mirror Soccer 88 Stickers #131 is also a Newcastle United issue, not a Tottenham issue.

For collectors extending the early-career run into his first Spurs season, 1988 Panini Football 89 issues become relevant, including his Tottenham Hotspur team-section sticker and a separate front-page winners insert-style appearance in the same album. 

The 1990 Panini FIFA World Cup Italia ’90 #394 is one of Gascoigne’s most recognisable international stickers and one of the key issues of his career. Issued for the tournament in which his semi-final tears against West Germany became an iconic image, it remains closely associated with the moment that defined his public image for a generation of supporters.

See the 2002 Hall of Fame Inductees or browse the full list.