Paul Gascoigne Insists He Was A Better Player Than Phil Foden Even While Drunk

Paul Gascoigne has played down comparisons between himself and Phil Foden by insisting that even the drunk version of himself was superior.

Ex-England magician Gazza praised Foden - who's copied his iconic bleach-blond Euro 96 hairstyle - in the build-up to this summer's European Championship. But the compliments only extend so far.

When asked about his similarity to the Manchester City star, Gascoigne replied per Sun Sport: "No one compares to me.

"I can beat everyone with my eyes shut, and that's with a bottle of whiskey inside of us as well and a couple of Bacardi breezers."

Gazza, who scored his sensational goal against Scotland - chipping the ball over defender Colin Hendry - 25 years ago today, has spoken glowingly of Foden's talent. However the former Newcastle, Tottenham and Rangers ace has said that the 21-year-old attacking midfielder needs to be more selfish.

"Phil Foden is good, too. He's going to be hot," said Gascoigne pre-tournament. "He just needs to be greedier. He needs to go for it."

Foden sizzled in the early stages of England's 1-0 win over Croatia in their Euro 2020 opener. The rising star hit the inside of the post early on and produced some memorable touches, before fading in the second half and being replaced with 20 minutes left to play.

Regarding the odds of this side doing what England agonisingly couldn't quite do in 1996 and winning the Euros for the first time, Gascoigne gave the Three Lions a great chance.

Speaking to his to his former England teammate David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, the 54-year-old explained: "I definitely think we have a chance: the attacking force is unbelievable, the defenders we will see.

"The pressure is on now after the last World Cup, it's at Wembley and it all depends on whether they can handle it.

"We have a good chance because this is probably going to be the closest we've been since '96.

"France definitely have a good chance, but England do too so long as they can handle the pressure."

All imagery: PA Images

Topics: Phil Foden, Euro 2020, England, Paul Gascoigne

Alex Reid

Alex Reid is a writer at SPORTbible who’s previously strung words together for FourFourTwo, Boxing News, The Guardian and, yes, Cruise International (it’s about big ships, not Tom). Interests range from football and boxing to real sports like WWE and darts. He is not a cage fighter.

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