Gazza

In 1988, Paul Gascoigne is a shining light in English football, a lovable young Geordie from a working-class background whose broad smile and extravagant skills are an antidote to the hooliganism that has beset the game over the previous decade. When he moves to London to join Terry Venables' Tottenham Hotspur for a British record transfer fee in July of that year, it pushes him firmly into the national spotlight.

‘Gazza' is perfect for a British tabloid press in the midst of the celebrity-focused circulation war between Rupert Murdoch's News International and Robert Maxwell's Mirror Group – he is the best young footballer in the country, the British public can't help but love him, and he courts attention with his naïve behaviour, love of alcohol and desire to be ‘one of the lads'.

At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, a Gazza-inspired England team turn around negative public opinions as they reach the semi-finals, where they meet old rivals West Germany. It is here that Gazza becomes an icon, when a rash tackle leads to a booking and he breaks down in tears at the realisation that it will rule him out of the final if England get there. England go on to lose in a penalty shootout, but those tears of vulnerability in defeat propel him into the heart of the nation, and his life is never the same again.

‘Gazzamania' is born, as The Sun sign him up and his advisors seek to maximise the commercial possibilities. Those close to Gazza worry about his ability to deal with with the pressure and intense media attention. He finds it increasingly hard to cope, exploding at the 1991 FA Cup final with a series of dangerous tackles, rupturing his knee ligaments in the process.

By 1992 Paul has recovered from his injury and is playing in Italy with Lazio. Despite a promising start, with continued press scrutiny and a tempestuous relationship with girlfriend Sheryl to deal with, his old demons are beginning to resurface.

In 1993, as England's campaign to qualify for the next year's World Cup gets underway, the pressure is very much on Paul Gascoigne to lead them there. But behind the scenes, Gazza's life is once again falling apart amid problems in his relationship with girlfriend Sheryl and a very public betrayal by his personal assistant, who reveals his deepest, darkest secrets to the world. This is soon followed by another serious career-threatening injury.

England fail to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Then there are fresh tabloid revelations when the violence Sheryl has suffered at Gazza's hands becomes public. By now, both Gazza and Sheryl are on friendly terms with two young tabloid journalists, Rebekah Wade and Piers Morgan, who are emerging as key figures at the celebrity-obsessed News of the World. Gazza and Sheryl become one of their most important storylines, matched only by the royal soap opera of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Gazza's life increasingly occupies both the front and back pages of the tabloids – frequently for all the wrong reasons.

Despite all the trouble, Gazza's goal against Scotland at Euro 96 restores his national hero status, and his public renaissance continues with marriage to Sheryl just days later. However, this apparent reprieve proves temporary, as further acts of domestic violence committed by Gazza become public and his marriage crumbles. Although new England coach Glenn Hoddle keeps him in the England team, Gazza is under siege, with the press turning to increasingly amoral and illegal means to chart every part of his downfall.