10 Footballers Who Recovered From World Cup Disgraces

9. Paul Gascoigne

There may never be a player like Paul Gascoigne again. Armed with a mix of personality off the field and skills on it, Gazza was beloved at every club he played for, won honours with Newcastle (the FA Youth Cup counts here), Spurs and Rangers throughout his career and has become a cherished English footballing hero.

Much like Stuart Pearce though, his international stint would be punctuated by equal measures of pain and pleasure.

Sent off deep into extra time against West Germany in the semi final of Italia '90, Paul's subsequent tears became an iconic reminder of just how much he cared. For someone so passionate, that could have been disastrous, and yet Gazza pulled himself back to become a club football success.

At Euro '96, he reminded everyone of his skills by scoring a sublime volley against Scotland and lit up the tournament in England's midfield. Though it couldn't erase the nightmare of Turin six years earlier, the goal gave Gascoigne a well-deserved platform.