Paul Gascoigne Reveals Wildest Tales: From Kissing Princess Diana to IRA Threats and Partying with Gaddafi's Sons!

ENGLAND legend Paul Gascoigne has opened up about some of the craziest stories from the peak of his football career – including a unique meeting with the royal family.

The 59-year-old – nicknamed ‘Gazza’ – was capped 57 times for the national team across 10 years.

Paul Gascoigne has opened up about some of the craziest stories from his football career Credit: YouTube Gazza was capped 57 times for England across 10 years Credit: Getty

During that time, he played in two major tournaments – the 1990 and Euro 1996.

He scored 10 senior international goals and was universally considered one of the world’s best players at the peak of his career.

also became one of the most famous faces in sport after crying on the pitch during the 1990 World Cup semi-final as a result of picking up a yellow card that would have seen him suspended for the final.

were ultimately knocked out of the tournament by West Germany after losing the match on penalties.

Despite the heartbreak, Gazza became a household name.

Recalling the aftermath on the Clutch 9 Football podcast, powered by Betway, he explained: “It was unbelievable. wanted to play pool with me.

“I remember being in a wine bar one day and spotting Dustin Hoffman.

“I’d just watched one of his films, so I went over and introduced myself.
He looked at me and said, ‘You’re Paul Gascoigne?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’

“He laughed and said, ‘You’re that mad bugger from England!’ We ended up chatting away like we’d known each other for years.

“Things like that happened all the time. It was a crazy period.

“Then there was Lady Diana…

“Apparently they kept me away from the Queen because they were worried I’d kiss her as well. I’d already put my arm around Margaret Thatcher! Things like that just kept happening.

“I remember being at an event when these two young lads turned up surrounded by about 40 security guards. I asked, ‘Who are they?’

“Someone said, ‘They’re Gaddafi’s sons.’

“Next thing they were saying, ‘Gazza, come on, we’re taking you to lunch.’ I couldn’t believe it.

“I ended up getting them drunk and leaving them in the wine bar! Later on I went over to Libya. I ended up at Gaddafi’s compound, where there were armed guards everywhere.

“Afterwards his son said, ‘Come on, Gazza, let’s play pool.’ We walked into this huge room with about 20 pool tables. It was just me and him playing
while 16-year-olds stood around with machine guns slung over their shoulders.

“I remember thinking, get me out of here.

“My dad rang me later and said, ‘Did you know Gaddafi owns about a thousand cars? Nobody ever knows which one he’s travelling in.’

Gascoigne revealed what happened when he met Princess Diana Credit: Getty

“He never stayed in hotels either. He had hundreds of tents and would move between them.

“At one point they wanted me to sign something saying, ‘I support Gaddafi.’ I said, ‘You’ll have to give me a million quid for that.’

“His son laughed and said, ‘Just a million?’ He walked into the bank and could’ve taken it out without a problem.

“He rang his dad and joked, ‘I’ve just taken a million pounds out of your account!’

“It was a crazy world. I seemed to get invited everywhere.”

During the episode, Gascoigne also opened up about his and how it impacted his life and career.

Asked if he ever drank alcohol before matches, he explained: “No. I was always excited to play. The only time football really affected me was during my divorce.

“I had a huge argument with my ex-wife, then I got sent off against Ajax because I was so frustrated.”

The former and midfielder went on to reveal that around the same time he received threats from the IRA.

He continued: “Not long afterwards I started getting threats from the IRA.
That went on for months. Even with all that going on, I still managed to score a hat-trick.

Gazza revealed that he threats from the IRA while playing for Ajax Credit: AP:Associated Press

“I remember ringing my dad after one game. I said, ‘Dad, I scored. I got Man of the Match. We qualified for the Champions League. Make
sure you buy the papers tomorrow morning. Cut all the back pages out for Mam.’

“The next morning he rang me. He said, ‘Son… you’re not on the back pages.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ He replied, ‘You’re on every bloody front page. The IRA are threatening to kill you.’ I couldn’t believe it.

“Everywhere I looked there were headlines about me. I’d even hear the words ‘Gaza Strip’ on the television and panic, thinking they were talking
about me.

“The police came round and told me to check underneath my car every morning in case there was a bomb.

“They warned me to be careful opening my post because it could explode.
It was terrifying.

“In the end I rang one of my mates. He had five brothers. I said, ‘I’ll give you a hundred quid a week. Drive me to training and open my post for me.’ He agreed.

“Every morning he’d start the car while I stood about 300 yards away.
I used to shout, ‘Go on then, Jimmy!’

“Looking back, I joke that I was hoping he wouldn’t get blown up before me. Eventually it all died down.”