Vinnie Jones and Paul Gascoigne: The untold story behind infamous penis grab picture

Vinnie Jones and Paul Gascoigne: The untold story behind infamous penis grab picture

Vinnie Jones squeezes Paul Gascoigne's genitals during the football match between AFC Wimbledon and Newcastle United. London, 1987. When Vinnie Jones grabbed the nether regions of Newcastle's Paul Gascoigne in February 1988, it became one of the most iconic photographs in the history of English football Paul Gascoigne was England's most talented footballer of the last 50 years – and a world-class clown off the pitch. In a new book, Our Gazza: The Untold Tales, a dizzying cast of his former team-mates, managers and club officials tell the stories behind a genius and his relentless appetite for pranks. A unique collection of anecdotes, compiled by top journalist John Richardson, will make you laugh and cry at the wonderful madness of King Gazza. It was one of the most iconic sporting photographs of all time – Vinnie Jones grabbing Paul Gascoigne by the lunchbox. And when Gazza acknowledged a man-marking job well done by sending Jones a rose, the Crazy Gang hard man returned serve with his own mark of esteem... a toilet brush. Three months after their otherwise unremarkable 0-0 draw with Newcastle in February 1988, Wimbledon shocked Liverpool at Wembley. In the FA Cup final, Jones' methods to keep tabs on Steve McMahon were robust enough, but they didn't compare with the primitive clamp which made Gazza's eyes water. Jones said: “The first thing I told him when I got near him was that I wouldn’t be playing any football and neither would he. “I then left him, adding: 'Hey, fatty, I’ll be back for you in a minute.' Monte Fresco, the newspaper photographer, who eventually took THE picture of me and Gazza, heard that and decided to just concentrate on the pair of us. It was a gamble which paid off. “As a Newcastle free-kick was being taken, I didn’t want Gazza to move forward towards the ball. As we’re jostling, he suddenly said to me: 'You’re earning your £100 today.' “It was meant as an insult, so I just grabbed him by the you-know-whats and it was spot-on. There was no messing. It was straight on the button and I didn’t let go. “The match ended up 0-0 so I suppose everyone was glad the grab happened because there wasn’t much else to talk about. “In the dressing room after the game, the lads were telling me what a great job I’d done on Gazza. Fraying the lines between horseplay and endangering life, Gascoigne exacted a measure of revenge later that year. “Gazza came around to my house shortly after he had moved from Newcastle to Spurs,” recalled Jones. “He came over to join me in a bit of clay pigeon shooting. “It turned out to be like an episode of Only Fools And Horses. He took a shot and turned around with his double-barrelled shotgun in my direction and said, 'Do ya think I’m doing alreet like?' “My mates and I fell to the floor with me yelling, 'Point the gun the other way you stupid prat.' Back came the reply: 'Why don’t you try and grab my b******s now?!' “We had great respect for one another and became big friends.”