Former England and Newcastle United Chris Waddle admits he drew the ‘short straw’ when he roomed with Paul Gascoigne at Italia 90. It was a memorable competition for the Three Lions, with Sir Bobby Robson’s side narrowly missing out on the final after a heartbreaking shootout defeat to West Germany. The winger has reflected upon his memories of Italia 90 ahead of England’s latest knockout encounter with Germany on Tuesday evening. While admitting he remains good friends with Gascoigne, Waddle has opened up on the challenging experience of rooming with the ‘bundle of energy’.
Chris Waddle said: “I got the short straw and was rooming with Gazza. I love Paul and we get on very well, but he is the clown. We always tried to tell him he can’t do this or that but he did it, it didn’t matter who told him. He was a bundle of energy. He’d be up at 6am or 7am, out the patio doors and doing 20 lengths of swimming, then training and table tennis in the afternoon and he would crash out at about 11pm. I always had to turn the lights and telly off. It just went on and on like that.”
Gareth Southgate’s side will look to make history against their familiar foe and book a place in the quarter-final against Sweden or Ukraine. The Three Lions have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, spurred by the unexpected run to the World Cup semi-final in 2018. Waddle is encouraged by the togetherness shown by Southgate’s 26-man squad, and believes a positive group mentality is required to handle the grind of tournament football.
Chris Waddle added: “Togetherness is massive. In 1990, we were away for seven weeks. It takes a lot of mental strength, we were under lock and key. You’ve got to have security everywhere you go. You’re on the bus to training, back on the bus to the hotel, in your room or the restaurant and that’s basically it. But the camaraderie was brilliant.”
