Gazza name game comes up with G8 puzzle

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2004

LONDON (AFP) — Paul Gascoigne, who will forever be remembered for crying during England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany in 1990, believes it's time to change his name now that he has kicked drinking.

The man known worldwide as Gazza, as much for his riotous personal behaviour as his sublime footballing skills, has opted for the new moniker: G8.

It is nothing to do with the group of eight leading industrial nations, rather it is a combination of his surname and his old shirt number.

"G8 is right for us now," said Gascoigne. "It sounds a bit like great, or it does with my Geordie accent."

Gascoigne wants to sever ties to his hell-raising days when huge amounts of alcohol frequently turned him into the nation's laughing stock.

"Paul's...