In 1990, footballer Paul Gascoigne was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, ahead of snooker player Stephen Hendry and cricketer Graham Gooch. He thus became the first footballer to win the coveted prize since World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore in 1966. Accepting the trophy from another World Cup winner, Sir Bobby Charlton, Gascoigne said, “I am really pleased. I’d just like to say thanks to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who’ve helped me, and a certain man called Terry Venables, who’s been fantastic to me.”
Gascoigne had joined Tottenham Hotspur, under Venables, in 1988 for £2.2 million, which was, at the time, a British record, but it was his stellar performances for the England national team, under Bobby Robson, at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy that would make him a national treasure. Gascoigne was outstanding in a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands in the Group F game at the Stadio Comunale Sant’Elia in Cagliari, a 1-0 victory, after extra time, over Belgium in the round of 16 at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in Bologna and the semi-final against West Germany at the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin, which England eventually lost 4-3 on penalties.
After a goalless first half in Turin, West German full-back Andreas Brehme opened the scoring on the hour mark, but his goal was cancelled out by a left-footed strike by Gary Lineker with 10 minutes remaining. With the scores level, at 1-1, the match headed into extra time and, after 99 minutes, Gascoigne was booked for a wild, lunging challenge on centre-back Thomas Berthold. As soon as the yellow card was produced, Gascoigne knew that he would miss the World Cup final; his bottom lip wobbled and tears well in his eyes, creating one of the iconic moments in the history of English football.
More importantly, Gascoigne, who had been earmarked to take a penalty in the decisive shoot-out, withdrew and was replaced by Chris Waddle, who famously ballooned his spot-kick over the bar to bring England’s World Cup campaign to an ignominious end. Nevertheless, England had achieved what is still, jointly, their second best finish at the World Cup and ‘Gazzmania’ was born.