Broken-hearted Gazza can destroy us!

Paul Gascoigne once made a solemn pledge during an emotional farewell to Italian legend Dino Zoff.

Zoff, who will see Gazza's return with England next week to the Rome Olympic Stadium they once shared with Lazio, said: "I have never forgotten his last words to me. It was the day he left Lazio to join Rangers.

"Gazza shook my hand and said how much respect he had for me because I had won the World Cup and so many other championship and European trophies.

"Then he added that he had won next to nothing himself. It was very moving because he said he wanted so much to be like me and would do everything he could to make it come true."

Now Gazza can break the hearts of Zoff and his compatriots by securing at least a point in the decisive World Cup qualifier with Italy on Saturday week.

And, by so doing, he will breathe new life into that dream of putting his name to an enduring exploit.

Rather than the unhappy sequence of serious injury and scandalous conduct for which he is already too well known.

Zoff, president of Lazio for the last two years, told me of both the elation and despair he felt as Gazza's manager.

He said: "Gazza will be applauded by Lazio fans when he comes back with England to the Olympic Stadium - even though he could help put our country out of the World Cup.

"That's because they loved him for the fantasy of his game. They remember his late equaliser in the derby against Roma. That makes a Lazio player a hero forever. And, like me, they'll never forget the perfect match he once played in beating Torino in the Italian Cup.

"He was everywhere and did everything.

"That was Gazza at his very best. He was tireless, spectacular and spell- binding.

"But that makes me all the sadder that he was unable to show us what he could do more often.

"I knew many players during my long career who did not live up to their potential for one reason or another.

"None was as special as Gazza, but he has something in common with them. He has the quality to play for England, Italy or any other country in the world.

"We didn't see it enough, though. His physical condition was against him. He was still recovering from a knee operation when he joined us and he broke his leg in training.

"He did not always behave as he should. It is not something I want to talk about much, but I sat face to face with him many times to try to get the best out of him.

"It was difficult to calm him down. He was too exuberant about everything he did.

"I like him as a person, but his life was up and down.

"What I fear is that playing against Italy in our stadium will inspire him. He's an emotional man and the atmosphere will get to him.

"Gazza has won championships with Rangers but everyone expects that, so time is running short for him to stamp his name on the game in the way he spoke to me about. This must be his last World Cup and that will make him more dangerous.

"I still expect Italy to win and qualify for the finals in first place. We have such a lot of powerful strikers to choose from. I hope England can join us from second place."

Zoff was Italy's 40-year-old goalkeeper-captain when they won the World Cup in Spain in 1982. It was the crowning glory of a career that brought him six Italian titles, the European Cup and the UEFA Cup with Juventus.

Gazza - his Scots baubles apart - has acquired just one FA Cup winner's medal after playing a few minutes of the final for Spurs against Forest.

It's a symbol of his ill-starred trek through football that he should have received it from team-mates while lying in a hospital bed.

Zoff added: "I sat by Gazza's bedside myself after he broke a leg in training with us.

"He had cried on his way to hospital and must have felt his career could be over.

"But I told him his fracture was less serious than the injury he had received at Wembley and that he would come back even stronger.

"I watched him play for England against Moldova on TV. It was a pleasure for me to see him do so well.

"My first love is my country, of course. So I won't complain if Gazza is overcome in Rome. But I'm glad Glenn Hoddle has stuck by him even when a lot of people wanted him out.

"Gazza is an artist. I understand why Hoddle does so much to keep him. He judges him as a footballer and I would have done the same."

Lazio striker Pierluigi Casiraghi partnered Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola in Italy's attack for the 1-0 win at Wembley last February.

Casiraghi, Gazza's former team-mate, told me: "England had problems in their midfield at Wembley. I think they missed Gazza against us.

"What concerns me is that he's back and England are playing better than we are at the moment.

"Our failure to win in Georgia wasn't all just bad luck. We didn't put things together at all. I know just how good Gazza can be because I have seen him do unbelievable things and he'll be a big danger to us.

"This will be a very emotional game for him because he has many good memories of playing in this stadium with us.

"I liked his sense of humour and have never met anyone like him for what goes on inside his head."

Whatever the result of England's World Cup showdown in Rome, Casiraghi will still accept Gazza's superiority on one count.

He reveals: "We went on a pre-season tour to Austria. Gazza taught all of us to play darts, but he ended up the champion."

Wouldn't it be lovely if Gazza - recalling his promise to Zoff - could teach the Italians a few more valuable sporting lessons next week?

GROUP 2

P W D L F A PTS

England 7 6 0 1 15 2 18

Italy 7 5 2 0 11 1 17

Poland 6 2 1 3 7 9 7

Georgia 7 2 1 4 4 9 7

Moldova 7 0 0 7 2 18 0

Copyright 1997 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.