Rino Gattuso has told a touching story about how Paul Gascoigne deceived him to help the Italian.
Gattuso is fondly remembered by Rangers fans for the year he spent at Ibrox between 1997 and 1998. Despite not winning title, his dogged playing style and commitment makes him a well-thought of former star.
When he arrived at Ibrox, Gascoigne had done his best work at Rangers. Before the season, he went with Gattuso to a tailor shop, and apparently he lied to help the new man.
In a piece on the official Four Four Two website, Gattuso opened up on the touching gesture from the Rangers icon.
“There was a rule at Rangers, going back to the 1950s, that players needed to turn up for every training session dressed in a suit and tie. I was a teenager. You’d have been lucky to see me in a jacket even on a Sunday – it just wasn’t my style.
“So Paul took me to one of the most expensive tailors in Glasgow and told me to pick seven or eight suits. He said the tailor had a deal with the club, meaning the players could choose all the suits they wanted and the money would then be taken in monthly instalments from their wages over the rest of the season.
“I picked out the suits, the shirts, the ties, and when we went up to the counter it came to about £10,000.
“A while later, I discovered there was no deal between the tailor and the club. It was Paul’s way of tricking me into letting him help me out – something he’d just decided to do on his own, without any prompt. He paid for the suits with his own money. This is the Paul Gascoigne not many people know.”
The side nobody talks about
When people think of Paul Gascoigne, nobody talks about this side of his character. It truly is a touching story that shows that, beneath the humor and jokes, there was a fine man in there.
It makes it even sadder when you think of the decline the England legend has been on. Gascoigne remains fondly remembered by the Rangers support for a variety of big-game moments and his affection for the club.
The ex-Rangers star has been a guest at Ibrox on a couple of occasions since leaving the club. He still remains a welcome figure at Ibrox.
The story comes just days after the saga involving Gascoigne and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. For those somehow unaware, Gascoigne was nominated for the honor on Mental Health Awareness Day. But hours later, that honor was taken away from him as several SFA members threatened to boycott the event.
It was a shameful series of acts by the SFA. Yet Gascoigne certainly seems over it if his latest Twitter post is anything to go by.
It’s great to see Gattuso remembering the better side of the man, even if the SFA don’t.
