I got a phone call and our manager said, I think you'd better take it'. It was the Pope - I said, Hi Pope, you alright?' So we went to the Vatican to meet the Pope and shook hands with him' Paul Gascoigne on meeting Pope John Paul II

"Paul Gascoigne should have been on top of the world when he joined Lazio. Instead, just getting on the pitch was a lengthy test of character. Gazza suffered a self-inflicted injury in the FA Cup final in 1991 and had to work his way back to fitness before his Italian adventure could really begin. Naturally, Gascoigne went on to become a fan favourite and contribute to the popularity of Italian football among English fans."

""I got a phone call once, and our manager Dino Zoff said, I think you'd better take it', Gascoigne tells FourFourTwo. 'I went, I'm f**king training, tell them to call back, who the f**k is it?' 'And it was the Pope. I answered the phone and said, Hi Pope, you all right?' My dad was a Catholic, so we went to the Vatican to meet the Pope we shook hands with him."

Paul Gascoigne joined Lazio amid global fame but faced a delayed start after a self-inflicted knee injury in the 1991 FA Cup final. He rehabilitated to regain fitness before beginning his Italian career. Lazio honored the transfer despite the delay, and Gascoigne became a fan favourite who boosted interest in Italian football among English supporters. He experienced notable celebrity moments in Rome, including meeting the Pope. Gascoigne played 47 matches for Lazio, then returned to Britain for a successful spell with Rangers, followed by periods at Middlesbrough and Everton and several short stints as his career wound down.

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