How Evertonians would have loved to have seen a midfielder of Gazzas natural talent at the club during the early 1990s, when his performances for Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio made him an England favourite. But we got the booze-soaked dregs of his playing career. In 2000, Everton were under the management of Walter Smith, and the big Scot took a chance on a man with a known history of alcoholism and clinical depression, having worked with Gascoigne during his time in charge of Glasgow Rangers. Occasionally, these turn out to be stories of triumph over adversity. Washed-up sports stars slay their demons and recapture their former glory, but it wasnt to be for Gazza. His ongoing battle with depression coupled with recurrent injury woes took him out of the first-team picture during his first season with the club and a stint at an Arizona rehab facility followed. He threatened to bounce back the following term before injuries once again derailed his ambitions to continue playing at the highest level.
