9 December 2010 Last updated at 10:28 ET

Triumphs and tears of Paul Gascoigne

"Gazzamania" was born at Italia '90

One of the country's most recognisable and celebrated footballers, Paul Gascoigne's life on and off the pitch has been an eventful one.

In 1985 a fresh-faced Gascoigne made his league debut for Newcastle United at the age of 17 as a second-half substitute against Queens Park Rangers.

Within three years, "Gazza" had won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Shortly afterwards, in the summer of 1988, he joined Tottenham for £2.3m.

During the World Cup in 1990 he showed his vulnerable side, shedding tears of frustration after his booking in the semi-final against Germany ruled him out of a potential appearance in the final.

Despite England's subsequent defeat on penalties depriving Bobby Robson's side of a place in the World Cup Final, Gascoigne went on to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The aftermath of England's run in the 1990 World Cup saw Gascoigne reach the peak of his popularity as "Gazzamania" swept England.

Serious injury

He released a pop reworking of the Lindisfarne hit Fog on the Tyne, which reached number 2 on the UK singles chart and led to an appearance on Top of the Pops.

But the high times were not to last.

At the end of the 1991 season, in the FA Cup Final, a wild and reckless Gascoigne sustained a serious cruciate ligament injury in the early minutes of the game.

Gazza's "dentist's chair" celebration at Euro 96 is a treasured memory for many England fans

His already agreed transfer to Italian club Lazio was put on hold while he recovered and, having played some exceptional football in the 1990-91 season, he would never be the same player again.

Accompanied by his Geordie sidekick Jimmy "Fivebellies" Gardner, Gascoigne went to Italy and eventually resumed his career on the pitch.

Although he was plagued by injury, Gascoigne was a popular figure with the fans at the Roman club.

In 1995 Gascoigne returned to the UK, joining Glasgow Rangers for £4.3m, and the following year he married Sheryl, shortly after the birth of son Regan.

A year later, he was a key player in the England team which was again defeated on penalties in the semi-finals of a major tournament by the Germans - this time Euro 96 held in England.

Sectarian gesture

His "dentist's chair" celebration after scoring a magnificent goal against Scotland - itself a reference to his heavy drinking - is a treasured memory of many English football fans.

In 1998, he was given a warning by the Scottish FA after a "playing the flute" mime - a sectarian gesture - during an Old Firm game against Celtic.

Later that year his marriage ended following incidents of domestic violence and he was admitted to the Marchwood Priory hospital to receive treatment for his drink problem.

He was also left out of the 1998 World Cup squad and would never play for England again.

He spent the last six years of his football career with Middlesbrough, Everton, Burnley, and Chinese side Gansu Tianma, retiring from the game in 2004.

The same year, Gazza talked about his problems in his autobiography, including his struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, bulimia, depression and Tourette's syndrome.

He struggled with alcoholism throughout the decade and in 2008 Gascoigne was sectioned under the Mental Health Act following reports that he was acting strangely in Hemel Hempstead.

On Wednesday he pleaded guilty to drinking and driving, was given a suspended prison sentence and warned he would be sent to prison if he re-offended in the next year.