Gazza to be unleashed on America
Will Washington be big enough for both of them?
If Michael Jordan, the American idol, is ignorant of Paul Gascoigne, his bliss could soon be over as the soccer player considers becoming the latest English export to try to break the United States.
Gazza, as he is widely known, is flying to the capital of the U.S. -- where Jordan elected to play out his career with the NBA's Wizards -- ahead of a possible move to Major League Soccer (MLS) team DC United.
The former Lazio and England midfielder, now 35, has been revered and ridiculed in equal measure during his time in Europe but now hopes that his unique appeal, not to say sense of humour, will be well-received Stateside.
"I've been trying to explain to people Gazza's notoriety," said DC coach Ray Hudson.
"His fame is probably three or four times as big as somebody like Michael Jordan is over here, and the Americans find that incredible."
As well they might, given Jordan's immortal exploits.
Like Jordan, Gascoigne's fame is rooted in his outrageous skills, the kind of talent that is god-given.
Yet unlike the former Chicago Bulls man, Gascoigne's notoriety has been fuelled by evidence of flawed genius and unfulfilled talent.
One minute, Gazza, the life and soul of any party, will be clowning around, the next the recovering alcoholic will hit the self-destruct button.
CONTROVERSIAL LIFE
The serious knee injury which distorted his rise 11 years ago was his own fault, a result of a shocking tackle while playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the English FA Cup final.
A failure to adapt to life in Rome undermined his efforts with Lazio, while controversy affected his time at Rangers and Middlesbrough.
Of more concern during the 1990s were the revelations that he beat his wife. Last year, Gascoigne admitted being an alcoholic and said he had undertaken counselling sessions in the United States.
Sadly, with Everton and first division Burnley last season, he became something of a caricature of himself, his ageing and injury-ravaged body unable to produce the sort of wondrous moments that propelled him to stardom in the first place.
That is why his next move, potentially to D.C. United, is regarded with indifference in England.
But it is also why his next move is important for Gascoigne himself.
Eager to enjoy a last hurrah as a player, Gascoigne wants a lifestyle that will suit and an arena in which he can replace the hot air with some meaningful deeds.
"He's always wanted to play in the States and it's a standard of football he will be comfortable with," said his agent Ian Elliot, who added that Gascoigne will train with D.C. in the coming week before deciding whether to put pen to paper.
Hudson, like Gascoigne a Geordie -- a native of Tyneside in north-east England -- believes Washington will be perfect.
"The impression I get is that he wants to move on with his life in several areas and he really wants to enjoy the game again," said Hudson.
BEST PARALLELS
"He'll be pretty much totally anonymous in the DC area and he'll be able to blend in as a complete unknown."
The chance of anonymity attracted former Manchester United winger George Best to the States in the 1970s.
Best and Gascoigne are by no means dissimilar but there is no chance of Gascoigne remaining anonymous in the media-driven, celebrity circus of 2002.
The British tabloids that have been both friend and foe to him since he began his professional career with Newcastle United will want to know how Gascoigne is settling in north America.
Though soccer still struggles to compete against traditional American sports, its profile has increased since the national side excelled in reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup last month, and the MLS will miss an opportunity if they do not try to use Gascoigne to market their product.
Quite how is another matter. Someone should tell them this is the man who received the acclaim of a nation on his return from the 1990 World Cup while wearing fake plastic breasts.
Gascoigne is a charmer, in his own way, and he is loved for it in England.
His tears at Italia 90, when he received a caution that would have put him out of the final had England gone through, broke the nation's hearts. As it turned out, England lost their semi-final anyway.
The States remains an unpredictable monster, as many English exports, from pop stars to actors to television shows, have found.
Gascoigne is definitely more Benny Hill than English period drama but as the late British comic found to his surprise when his slapstick show was well received on the other side of the Atlantic, the Americans might well consider that a virtue.
