Paul Gascoigne has revealed that he originally turned down a move to Rangers after a misunderstanding over their name.
English footballing legend Gascoigne has looked back on his time at the Scottish giants in an exclusive chat with talkSPORT.
‘Gazza’ began his career at Newcastle before going on to thrive at Tottenham and on the international stage with England.
In 1992, he made a move to Italy with Lazio, but after three years in Europe, he made a return to the UK with Rangers in Scotland.
Gascoigne lifted two Scottish Premiership titles and one Scottish Cup during his successful spell at the club.
He scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 51 appearances for the Gers, playing eight times in the Champions League.
The mischief-making superstar then left Rangers in 1998 and went on to play for Middlesbrough, Everton and Burnley.
In total, Gascoigne played for nine clubs in his incredible career, but one specifically stood out as the best for him.
“I loved Rangers,” Gazza said when asked where he was the happiest as a player by talkSPORT’s Jim White on White and Jordan.
However, he may never have actually joined them due to a misunderstanding when looking at his transfer options.
And Gascoigne originally turned the club down due to the confusion.
He added: “I loved it up there, my time was fantastic. But I remember when my agent was talking to Lazio about which club I should go to.
talkSPORTGascoigne joined talkSPORT and revealed that he turned down Rangers at first[/caption] Gascoigne won multiple trophies at Rangers across his three-year spellGetty Images“He mentioned Aston Villa and then said Rangers, so I went: ‘No, I’m not going.’
“Then as I was walking off, he said ‘Glasgow Rangers’ and I was like: ‘Oh I thought you meant Queens Park Rangers!’
“So I said: ‘Okay, get them over’ and then my agents were talks and I was saying to Walter [Smith] I’m coming, don’t worry.
“I’ll take a massive drop in wages, I want to go to Rangers and within a week, that was it.”
Smiling with Smith
Rangers icon Walter Smith played a huge part in bringing Gascoigne to the club 30 years ago.
Smith, who sadly passed away aged 73 in 2021, was admired by the tricky attacking midfielder before signing him.
Gascoigne was a fan favourite at the club after joining from Lazio in 1995Getty“Yeah, Walter came directly to Lazio to speak to me,” Gazza explained.
“I remember being on holiday and he was there and I remember saying: ‘You see that guy over there, I’d love to play for him one day’…and then four years later, I did.”
He continued: “He just said: ‘Let’s get the smile back on your face’ as Lazio just had a new manager and I didn’t get on well with him.
“He [Smith] said I’d enjoy my football here and play with a smile, have some good banter with the lads.”
‘He throttled me!’
It wasn’t all joy between Gascoigne and Smith at Rangers though, as things got heated in one altercation.
Gazza revealed on talkSPORT: “I always remember Walter Smith, he told me he needed to see me now upstairs in the top tier.
Gascoigne had a great relationship with club icon Smith at Rangers But Gazza did reveal that he was once throttled by his managertalkSPORT“I said: ‘What’s wrong?’ and he said: ‘I’ve got to let you be here, you’re a genius, I’ve got to let you do what you want.’
“But then he said: ‘And no one does that with me!’ He grabbed me by the throat and throttled me, saying I better score tomorrow.
“I did, I’m sure I got a couple of goals.”
Gascoigne added: “He also told me once that he wanted me to score a brace, so I went to a shop and brought him a brace…
“I didn’t realise a brace meant two goals, so I bought him and a brace.
“Luckily enough, I scored a hat-trick.”
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