Paul Gascoigne opens up on 'horrific' childhood incident that left him 'cuddling friend in coffin'

Paul Gascoigne has opened up on the horrific incident that left him cuddling his friend in a coffin.

In a career that lasted more than 18 years, Gascoigne played for the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio and Rangers.

The midfielder was also capped 57 times by England and is often regarded as one of the best players of his generation.

Speaking recently on the High Performance Podcast, the 56-year-old recalled a childhood incident.

Back when he was just 12, Gascoigne was heading to a boys club with his friend Keith Spraggon and his brother Stephen.

He said: “We went to the shop and there was an ice cream van outside the shop. I said 'come on, quick, we're going to be late'. He ran ahead of us, it was only one yard, and when he went past that ice cream van, it hit him.

“He went about 30 yards. I ran down, Stephen, I was talking to him, he had his head on me lap, and his lips moving. I thought he was going to be alright, but he wasn't, that was his last movements.”

Gascoigne continued: “I was like 12 years of age, picking a dead body out of a coffin.

“Kissing and cuddling him and saying 'sorry', and then putting him back down. And then I stayed in that room for a few days. It was a few sleepless nights. It was horrific.”

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Back in 1988, Gascoigne signed for Spurs at the age fo just 21, for a reported fee of £2.2 million.

Speaking about his move to North London, Gascoigne said: “No one could understand a word I was saying. They had to get Chris Waddle to translate for me at training. It was really embarrassing.”

In his career, Gascoigne made a total of 468 club appearances across all competitions, scoring 110 goals.

For England, the midfielder scored 10 goals in 57 matches.