Paul Gascoigne has called on England to recreate the “unbelievable” team spirit that defined the squad at the 1990 World Cup as Thomas Tuchel’s side begins its campaign for glory at this year’s tournament. Speaking to ITV on Wednesday following the publication of his new autobiography, the former midfielder said the unity and togetherness of Bobby Robson’s team in Italy was the most important factor in their run to the semi-finals, and believes the current group must adopt the same mentality if they are to end 60 years of hurt since England’s only World Cup triumph in 1966. Gascoigne, who was a key figure in that 1990 side before they lost to West Germany on penalties in Turin, stressed that success comes from collective responsibility rather than individual talent. “You want 11 captains on the pitch and when you are playing in a game like that, at a World Cup, you cannot afford to carry anyone,” he said. “Everyone has to be on the ball and the team spirit is important. The players that didn’t play, they were right behind the team, so our team spirit was unbelievable. The most important thing is team spirit because that goes a long way.”
England’s run in 1990 remains one of the nation’s most celebrated World Cup campaigns, with Gascoigne’s performances capturing the imagination of a country that had grown disillusioned with the national team. His tears after being booked in the semi-final, which would have ruled him out of the final had England progressed, became one of the tournament’s enduring images and helped forge a connection between players and supporters that had been absent for years. Since then, England have reached the semi-finals only once, when Gareth Southgate’s team made the last four in 2018.
Gascoigne’s message to Tuchel’s squad ahead of their Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 was simple: enjoy the experience and embrace the pressure. “Enjoy it. Because you just never know it could be your last World Cup,” the 59-year-old said. England face Costa Rica in their final friendly on Wednesday as preparations conclude. The former Newcastle and Tottenham star, who has battled addiction problems throughout his post-playing career, added that he is currently “the happiest I’ve been in about five years” and hopes his autobiography can help others. “A lot of people have come up and said they’ve read it and it’s saved their life. If that book can save one person’s life, then I’ve done my job,” he said, joking: “I think I should read it myself. Do myself a favour.” Gascoigne’s plea underscores a belief that talent alone will not deliver a trophy, and that the camaraderie, selflessness and resilience shown by the Italia ’90 squad remain the blueprint for England’s hopes of finally lifting the World Cup again.
