Anxious wait for Eurovision 2025 winner begins
The winner will be determined by viewer votes, which has stopped and the hosts have confirmed it has been validated, and juries made up of music industry professionals across European countries, who cast their votes based on rehearsals.
British group Remember Monday, made up of friends Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, were dressed in colourful Bridgerton-style outfits, as they kept their harmonies in sync for the genre-shifting What The Hell Just Happened?.
Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, an October 7 survivor, sang the heartfelt New Day Will Rise, while colourful Ukrainian band Ziferblat burst onto the stage to perform Bird Of Pray.
BBC Eurovision Song Contest commentator Graham Norton said there was a 'mixed response' in the arena to Raphael, 24, who he said attracted cheers and boos.
Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR said her act also saw a crew member hit with paint, after two pro-Palestinian protesters tried to rush through the barrier and onto the stage after Raphael's performance.
'They were stopped,' a spokesman said. 'One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit.
'The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.'
Israeli broadcaster Kan issued a statement, saying that the protesters 'were blocked by security officials, but Raphael was shaken and upset', and the delegation 'needed to move location for 15 minutes'.
A spokesman for Basel police said: 'The organiser handed the two people over to the police. The police checked the two people and then released them. It is now up to the organiser to decide whether to press charges.'
Ukraine has made it through to every final since they began competing in 2003, while if Israel triumph they will join Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom on five wins.
Also taking to the stage before Remember Monday was Norway's Kyle Alessandro, the youngest Eurovision act this year at 19 years old who has an exam on Monday morning and is taking part on the date of his country's National Constitution Day, with the fiery Lighter.
Luxembourg's Laura Thorn sang the zany La Poupee Monte Le Son while Estonia's Tommy Cash entertained with his spaghetti-dancing filled Espresso Macchiato, a parody on Italian stereotypes.
Back to back were two favourites, the Dutch singer Claude Kiambe, and Finland's Erika Vikman, who had contrasting performances.
Congolese-born Kiambe, 21, sang the heartfelt C'est La Vie, inspired by his mother's advice of understanding that there are good and bad moments in life, while surrounded by violins, and finished breaking down in tears.
He later said on Instagram that 'it was amazing, I was so nervous that I mixed up two words, and was so mad at myself, but yeah it's real C'est La Vie'.
Opting for a different tack was black leather-clad Vikman with the risque Ich Komme – a German-Finnish entry that finished with her taking off on a giant microphone with sparks flying.
Also garnering cheers were Maltese singer Miriana Conte with Serving, which was changed from Kant because of its similarity to a swearword, and Switzerland's Zoe Me with the powerful Voyage.
Prior to the finishing of the acts was Sweden's Kaj, who if the sauna advocates win will break the Eurovision record for the country with eight wins, French singer Louane Emera, and San Marino's upbeat Tutta L'Italia.
Earlier, 2024 Swiss winner Nemo returned to the Eurovision stage to do a rendition of The Code in a full-length white dress, following an opening sketch which saw a Mission Impossible-style segment to find the trophy, before it was delivered to the hosts.
The rest of the world also had a poll, which will count the same as a country, and the verdict of TV viewers will be added to the combination of points from national juries.
The UK's national jury votes are set to be announced by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor after Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa pulled out of being the British Eurovision spokesperson due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.
Earlier, there were pro-Palestinian protests near a free concert in the centre of Basel to demonstrate against Israel's inclusion, with a small group nearby also protesting with Israeli flags.
Later the group advocating for Israel to be removed from Eurovision moved across Basel, where they were met by a significant police presence, and tear gas was seen being used.
On Saturday, the Basel government said more than half a million people have visited the city so far this week after the competition came home to Switzerland, which first hosted it in 1956 in Lugano.
TV coverage for the final is provided by 'King of Eurovision' Norton on BBC One from 8pm on Saturday while British audiences can also listen to BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds for live coverage with presenters Rylan Clark and Scott Mills.
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'It feels good, I'm excited. I know it's Kettering Town, it isn't Premiership football (but)… it's a challenge and something I'm really looking forward to.' The date was October 27, 2005, and Paul Gascoigne, one of the most naturally gifted English footballers of all time, was spelling out his grand plans for Kettering Town, having just been announced as their new manager. Advertisement Gascoigne was speaking at a packed out press conference to mark the momentous occasion for Kettering, a historic non-League club playing in the sixth tier of English football. Gascoigne, who had a prominent bandage on his neck following an accident on a Christmas ice-skating special of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, was sat next to another decorated ex-professional footballer, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Davis, who had agreed to work alongside him as his assistant. To his other side was Kettering's cocksure new owner, 27-year-old Imraan Ladak, a Tottenham Hotspur fan who had idolised 'Gazza' growing up and persuaded him to oversee a team of semi-professional players who all had day jobs. At that press conference, there was bullish talk of winning two promotions to reach the English Football League within four years. 'On paper, it's the perfect team and I have no doubt at all it will work,' Ladak said. In the end, despite the bold statements, Gascoigne lasted only 39 days. After eight matches, he was sacked in what was a messy and bitter exit, played out in a public war of words. Ladak said his decision was the result of 37 separate incidents that were alcohol-related. Gascoigne rejected that version of events and accused the young chairman of meddling in his team selection. Along the way, there were emotional team talks, an FA Cup recreation of his famous dentist chair celebration, takeaway pizzas for the players during training and the promise of a sports car to drive for a week for whoever was named man of the match. Twenty years on, this is the story of that remarkable time, as told to The Athletic by those who were there. We spoke to captain Jamie Paterson, midfielder Hugh McAuley, Ryan-Zico Black (Gascoigne's first signing), midfielder Brett Solkhon, midfielder Wayne Diuk, former Chelsea striker Kevin Wilson (the manager before Gascoigne arrived who was named director of football before quitting after five days, later returning as manager), John Reed (the opposition manager in Gascoigne's third match) and Jim Wykes (the landlord of the Beeswing pub, the closest drinking establishment to Kettering's Rockingham Road stadium). The wheels had been set in motion a month before Gascoigne was announced as Kettering's new manager. Peter Mallinger, the chairman of 12 years, had received a phone call from Ladak on September 5, asking if he would consider selling. Open to the idea, Mallinger met with Ladak, who had made his fortune as head of DRC Locums, a firm that supplied locum doctors to the National Health Service, and a deal was agreed a few days later. Advertisement Next up for Mallinger, who had sat on the board of Newcastle United, was to meet Gascoigne, who was central to Ladak's grand vision. Two years before arriving at Kettering, Gascoigne had publicly admitted for the first time that he was an alcoholic in a frank newspaper interview with Ian Ridley of the Observer. His illustrious playing career had petered out via tough spells at Burnley, Boston United and Gansu Tianma in China, where the unfamiliar environment hit Gascoigne particularly hard. He had released an autobiography in which he talked about his struggles with bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. Elsewhere, he gave an interview to the Observer's Anna Kessel in which he discussed his precarious financial position. It was against this backdrop that Gascoigne arrived at Kettering. In his book, So You Think You Want To Be A Director Of A Football Club?, Mallinger, who died in 2011, wrote about how he witnessed Gascoigne drinking in his office during their first meeting. Mallinger noted how he was shocked by Gascoigne's gaunt appearance. However, Ladak later phoned him to say Gascoigne was eager to be part of the deal, with the two joining forces as a 'consortium'. The plan was that they would both put up money to buy the club, with Gascoigne going in as manager. As a signal of his enthusiasm, Gascoigne said he wanted to attend Kettering's next match, a cup game at home to Stafford Rangers, as a spectator. Gascoigne was true to his word. He was photographed at Rockingham Road lighting a cigarette in the stands, accompanied by Davis, his PR man Andy Billingham and his best friend, Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner. It was becoming clear that Gascoigne was going to have some involvement with Kettering. Before the Stafford Rangers game on September 24, Gascoigne and Gardner decided to make a trip to the Beeswing pub, next to the ground. Advertisement Wykes: I'm halfway through my bacon and eggs and we've literally just opened the doors at 12pm. Two minutes later, I get a shout at the bottom of the stairs. 'Jim, can you come down here please? Paul Gascoigne and Jimmy Five Bellies have just walked in'. They'd been served and were sat down in front of the TV, Sky Sports. I said to my wife, Diana, 'OK, I'm going to go down and have a look and see what's happening'. And sure enough, there they sat, the first two men in the pub. I went out and I said, 'Paul Gascoigne, what are you doing in my pub?'. He said in his Geordie accent, 'I cannot tell you, I cannot tell you. It's top secret'. And he sat there with a glass of wine and Jimmy Five Bellies had his Coca-Cola or whatever it was. Within 20 minutes, the pub was packed, people were queuing to get in. People were bringing Gazza's autobiography for him to sign, and he got a little bit overwhelmed. He looked worried and dishevelled. Half an hour after that, he felt really under pressure, so got up and went to the ground. Then we learned he was coming to take over. With the takeover complete and amid a media frenzy, a press conference was called to announce the news on Thursday, October 27. At that point, Kettering were on an impressive run, fifth in the Conference North and into the first round of the FA Cup. The new-look Kettering consisted of Gascoigne as manager and Davis as assistant, while Wilson moved into a director of football role. Wilson: He was inheriting a really good side. I hadn't been told that's what they were going to do with me. Normally, you get the sack or you move to a different role when you're not doing well. That was maybe the hardest side of it. I was there, but I didn't really want to be there. It was hard. I'd actually been off work ill that week, with tonsillitis. So it was one that I didn't really want to do, it was just so surreal. Paterson: It was an incredible time, to have such an iconic figure coming in. Probably one of my best friends in football was Kevin (Wilson) and he was doing very well. But then Paul Gascoigne's name was mentioned and all of a sudden, everyone wanted to know about Kettering. I felt pretty sad for Kevin. It was a media frenzy. Advertisement Solkhon: Before he came in, we got a phone call (from Gascoigne) and I was probably second or third down the line. I think the players before me actually put the phone down on him because they thought it was a joke. So when it came to me, I had Paul Davis call and he said, 'We've had players put the phone down but this is a real thing. Gascoigne is coming, he's here and he would like to speak to you'. You couldn't believe it. Gascoigne's first match came two days after the press conference, a home game against Droylsden, where he met his players for the first time in the dressing room. Kettering won 1-0, thanks to a goal from striker Christian Moore, who had come off the bench. Eager to cash in on the Gazza bonanza, Kettering sold shirts with 'Gazza 8' on the back, as well as knickers with 'I scored at Rockingham Road' printed on them for £3 a pair, as referenced in Steve Pitts' 2009 book, 39 Days of Gazza. McAuley: It was sad to see him that way, he was very frail and it was the first time I'd met him. Like most football fans, I adored him as a footballer. What he achieved in the game was unreal. Paterson: I was coming to the end of my career. Paul Gascoigne was my idol growing up as a kid, as I'm sure he was for many, many thousands of kids. I thought to myself, 'Well, I have to give it a try with Paul. I have to find out what he's like as a human being'. I wanted to find out what he was like as a coach. I was one of the only players in the dressing room who had played at a professional level. The other players were brickies, postmen and so on. They were semi-professional players and star-struck. Diuk: He seemed very nervous, which I was surprised at because you always saw him when he was a player, so confident, always laughing and joking. But when he came in, he was a shadow of the person I remember — he was my hero. But I was still excited to see him — this is Paul Gascoigne. Even reading the team out, he was nervous, whispering out a couple of names. But we were on a good roll, we were playing well. After starting with a victory, Kettering's part-time players, who trained on the Rockingham Road pitch on Tuesday and Thursday nights, were then treated to their first session overseen by Gascoigne and Davis, the pair having met on a coaching course. Paterson: On the first night of training, Paul Davis was out on the field, putting the session on. Maybe an hour into the session, Gazza came out of the tunnel saying, 'Boys, I've got pizzas! Let's go in the dressing room and have some pizzas!'. And Paul Davis was like, 'Well, this is halfway through the session'. But Gazza got us back in the dressing room. That was typical of him. Advertisement McAuley: Straightaway, he wanted to make an impression that even though he was managing, he was still one of the lads. Diuk: There was pizza and garlic bread in the changing room and he was like, 'If it's good enough for the Italians, it's good enough for us'. So we went and had the pizza. I imagine Paul Davis might have thought that was a bit ridiculous. Kettering's players were told in those early training sessions that there was going to be a change in style, with Davis explaining how he wanted them to play. Paterson: I'll never forget it. They sat us down and showed us France vs West Germany at the 1986 World Cup. Paul Davis is stopping the video or the replays, and he's saying, 'Look, look what Lothar Matthaus is doing'. And the boys beside me were like, 'Jesus Christ, I'm a bricklayer, I mean…'. If they were working with players at the top of the game, they would have had a chance, but they didn't understand the non-League system. Solkhon: Davis had won the title with Arsenal. I don't think he'd managed at that level and some of what he was trying to show and how he wanted us to play was never going to happen. We weren't playing on flat pitches and we had day jobs. One of the first meetings we had with Paul Davis, he put on Brazil at the World Cup, and he's pointing out Roberto Carlos and Cafu, the full-backs. 'This is how I want to play, overlapping. I don't want to see the ball two yards off the floor'. Stuff like that, and we're thinking, 'Is he for real?'. Diuk: The change was instant. We had a training session on a Tuesday and the first 40 minutes were in the changing rooms, talking about how to deal with the press. I worked for Boots the chemist, so it was a surreal experience. We had a training session where the ball wasn't allowed to leave the floor. Even in the top level, the ball has to come off the floor, and we're training on the pitch and as soon as it went a foot off the ground, it was, 'Stop, stop, right, give the ball to the other team'. We were good players, but we were Conference North players, we weren't Premier League players. Paterson: Gazza didn't really get involved too much in training, it was all down to Paul Davis, and they were enjoyable and rewarding sessions. But then on the Saturday, Paul Gascoigne would come in and do his managerial speech. They were completely chalk and cheese. Gazza was Gazza, up to his antics, whereas Paul Davis was the most laid-back, relaxed, humble man. If Davis had responsibility for the tactical side, Gascoigne took on the role of man-manager and motivator, delivering speeches before the players went out onto the pitch. Paterson: He spoke from the heart and very emotional — 'You're my players', 'We're Kettering Town', things like that, he was trying to be uplifting. Advertisement Solkhon: He was passionate and sensitive. There'd be times when he'd be getting emotional in the dressing room. We played Stevenage (in Gascoigne's second match) in the FA Cup first round. Graham Westley, the manager of Stevenage, had put something in the newspaper about Paul Gascoigne. It wound him up and hit him personally. When he was talking about the game, he mentioned Westley and it was very much, 'We've got to beat him, he can't be talking about us, me, our club like this'. He was very passionate but unfortunately, as time went on, we did see things start to change, and when you spend more time with him, you can see the issues he unfortunately had. It was before that cup tie against Stevenage, who were in the league above Kettering, that the players agreed to recreate Gascoigne's dentist chair celebration if they scored. Sure enough, when striker Neil Midgley equalised for Kettering in front of a bumper 4,548 crowd, his players performed the celebration. Solkhon: We had said if we got that goal, we wanted to do something. We had a packed crowd and didn't know how long it was going to last, so let's see if we can get ourselves in the paper or on TV. Fortunately, we did score but we ended up losing 3-1. But yeah, the players came running over to the bench and we managed to do it with the water bottles. Paterson: That was just to remind him of what a good time it was for him when he scored the goal against Scotland (at Euro '96). We reinvented it and thought it was a bit of fun and would make him feel good. As well as his emotional team talks, Gascoigne, forever the jester, came up with unique ways of trying to inspire his players… Paterson: One day, we're driving to an away game and Paul liked to get on the microphone and say his piece. He said, 'Lads, I've got good news and I've got bad news'. So after every game, we would get maybe a bottle of champagne for man of the match or a medal or something. 'What's the bad news, Paul?'. He said, 'I've decided to cancel the bottle of champagne for man of the match', and all the boys are like, 'Boo! Boo! What's the good news, Paul?'. 'I've managed to go down and get yous a Ferrari'. So he'd been down to the local Ferrari garage or spoken to someone in the know and the man-of-the-match prize now was to keep the Ferrari for a week and then bring it back, which to non-League players was completely alien. There was hilarity on the bus. Yet for all Gascoigne's wisecracks and jokes (the promise of the sports car never materialised), Kettering's players look back fondly on some parts of his man-management style… McAuley: I remember one game, he took me off with about 10 minutes to go when we beat Stalybridge Celtic 4-1 at home. He gave me a hug and he was made up that I'd done a double one-two in midfield. He wasn't bothered about the score. The game was going on and he was sat on the bench just saying, 'Oh fantastic'. He just made you feel really wanted. He had that big brother arm-around-you element. It was so sad that he was physically not at his best. Advertisement Black: I remember I was on the bench at home and he chatted to me before the game. He put his arm around me and started telling me about his mindset going onto the pitch, believing he was the best player in the world, even if he wasn't. He said that if you believe that, then you know you're going to show your true potential. Now I'm coaching, I try to pass that on to players. McAuley: I remember another game we played away and he sat down next to me. I thought he was going to start saying, 'Get on the ball' and whatever but he started talking to me about his experience on Dancing On Ice, or something like that. I loved that because I was quite relaxed anyway before games. I was just laughing my head off. He'd say something that made you feel wanted. As a footballer, all you want is for your manager to have that belief in you. There were also stories of Gascoigne, fully clothed, walking into the showers and chatting to opposition players after matches. Reed, the former manager of Stalybridge Celtic: We lost the game (against Kettering), so I was giving my team in the dressing room afterwards an absolute b***ocking, I was going absolutely ape s***. And then all of a sudden there was a knock on the door and he (Gascoigne) walked in. He just looked at me, and he had a big glass. And he said, 'Here you are, bonnie lad, this will make you feel better'. And I'm not kidding, there must have been six measures of whisky in this glass. And he said, 'Don't you be too hard on these lads!'. I said, 'Look, Paul, if you don't mind, I'm giving these a b***ocking because they deserve a b***ocking', and off he went. Then the lads were in the shower and, you're not going to believe this, he walked back in and there were about three or four lads in the shower and they were all going 'Gazza, Gazza!'. He walked in the shower and got wet through. It was incredible. Paterson: Paul just walked up, banged on the door, got himself in and walked straight into the shower fully clothed, to try to lighten the mood. After a bright start, cracks started to appear and Kettering failed to register another league victory under his watch, with two draws and two defeats. There was growing concern over Gascoigne's behaviour and confusion from players who were asked to play in unfamiliar positions. Divisions started to appear in the previously tight-knit squad as some players were awarded full-time contracts, including a clutch of new signings, who were allowed to train during the week at professional side Milton Keynes Dons. That led to rumblings of discontent in the changing room. Advertisement Diuk: It was like a fracture in the changing room. All of a sudden, we're thinking maybe this isn't quite the honeymoon we thought it might be. It almost got to a point where you stopped enjoying going to training, and I used to love training. Within those 39 days, we'd gone from potentially winning the league to looking the other way. When it came to matchdays, just the pressure even at that level, I don't think he could handle it, which was sad. It got more and more difficult and toxic as two or three weeks went on. It happened so quickly. The pressure was getting to him after a couple of defeats and we weren't playing well. And that's where his demons — I'm not judging the guy — where his drinking problems came in, and Paul Davis was starting to lose him a little bit. Gascoigne was then hit particularly hard by the death of his friend George Best, on November 25, 2005, another wonderfully gifted footballer who had struggled with alcoholism. In a newspaper article, published in the News of the World days before his death, Best had his photo taken, along with the words of warning, 'Don't die like me.' At Kettering's next match, an FA Trophy qualifying tie against Gainsborough Trinity, Gascoigne's former team-mate Chris Waddle and boxer Dave Roy Green watched from the stands as a show of support. Kettering scraped through, winning 1-0, and Gascoigne turned on the Kettering Christmas lights that evening. By this time, however, the relationship between Ladak and Gascoigne had reached breaking point. Following a dismal 3-1 defeat at home against lowly Barrow on December 3, Ladak clashed with Gascoigne. Hours afterwards, Ladak informed Gascoigne, via Billingham, that he had been sacked, although the news was only officially confirmed two days later. What then followed was a spectacular fallout and an extraordinary war of words between Kettering's chairman and his childhood idol. Advertisement In his statement published on Kettering's club website, Ladak said his decision 'was the result of 37 separate incidents I have had to deal with since the appointment of Paul Gascoigne as manager'. Ladak continued: 'Unfortunately, Paul Gascoigne has been under the influence of alcohol before, during and after several first-team games and training sessions. This has been noticeable to the board of directors, players, coaching staff and sections of the media.' He confirmed that Wilson, who had quit as director of football after five days, had agreed to return as manager. Gascoigne hit back, accusing Ladak of trying to interfere in his team selection. 'The chairman wants to sack me but I said I will never walk away from Kettering Town and I will fight all the way,' he said in a statement published on his website. 'I am now looking to buy the football club. I said I would never walk away and I said I would achieve the goal of achieving League status in the next three to five years.' Ladak insisted he had no intention of selling up. Later that evening, on December 5, Gascoigne appeared on Sky Sports. In a rambling interview, he repeated his claims about Ladak, calling him a 'control freak', and his intention to buy Kettering. He told the broadcaster he would attend Kettering's next game, the following night, against Alfreton Town. 'I'm sacked but I'm turning up,' he said. 'Well, I'm not sacked, at the end of the day, I own the club, I run the club, I don't own it but I still do regardless. I said I would never walk away from the next club I take on. He (Ladak) told me he's been watching football for five years, watching football for 20 years, five games a week, and knows how football should be played. Well, the guy can't trap a bag of cement.' In response to a question about his drinking, he told the broadcaster: 'I had a double brandy before the game (in the match that followed George Best's death). Before, it used to be four bottles of whisky. I had a drink after the game (against Barrow) with Paul and Andy, a glass of wine that I didn't even drink anyway. I had a mouthful and that was it because I wanted to concentrate on the team.' Watching the drama unfold in public were Kettering's players, who were preparing for their away match the following night. Paterson: All of a sudden, we're seeing Paul going on a crazy rant on Sky Sports about his beef with Imraan. It was crazy and that was the demise of everything. Whatever went on between them, it was never going to work. The players were watching in disbelief but 100 per cent, they were backing Gazza. Advertisement Black: It was horrible. And obviously it was so uncertain because Gazza was adamant he was going to push it, fight it all the way, and you're thinking, 'Is he going to come back and take over the club?'. It was really messy. Diuk: We'd heard he'd been sacked but no one at the club contacted us to let us know the arrangements for the Tuesday night. There was silence, no one knew what was going on. I rang him on the Monday, basically to ask, 'What's going on?'. But you couldn't directly speak to Paul, it was straight to his press officer, who at that time was Andy Billingham. He answered, 'Hey up, are you all right?'. I said, 'I just want to know what's going on because I want to prepare for tomorrow's game', and then Paul took the phone off him and went on a massive rant about the chairman. He was saying, 'I'll be there Tuesday, you wait'. I then turned up at the game on the Tuesday and Kev (Wilson) was there, which was a relief. It was a funny few days. Wilson: I shouldn't have gone back. It was the worst mistake I made. The mentality of the players had changed. I thought I could go back in and it could be different and it wasn't. But you live and learn and you have to take it. The whole mentality had changed. There were different people and players. It's a shame it didn't work for him (Gascoigne). I've got no hard feelings. Paterson: For him (Wilson) to come back in, it was a non-starter, it was never going to work because what Kevin had built had been blown apart. Under Kevin, the team was going in a very, very positive direction, it was almost there. If Kevin had been given more time, he would have got Kettering up to the next level. But even that did not spell the end of the drama. Just hours after that Sky Sports interview, Gascoigne was arrested in Liverpool after allegedly assaulting a photographer outside a hotel. The photographer, Steve Farrell, decided against pressing charges a few days later. Gascoigne, who had been adamant in his interview that he would be at the Alfreton game, did not show up, appearing to accept defeat in his fight with Ladak. Advertisement 'I thoroughly enjoyed working with a great bunch of lads, and I wish them every success under Kevin,' he said in a later statement. Wilson's second spell in charge lasted just two months. Ladak did not respond to numerous requests for comment from The Athletic. Gascoigne's PR did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Davis was approached for this article but did not want to comment. And so, after just 39 days, the Gascoigne experiment was over. But for Kettering's amateur players, it gave them memories they will never forget. McAuley: It was such a short time — blink and it was gone. For me, he was brilliant, regardless of his physical and mental condition and what was going on. It was an amazing privilege to be around such a great character. But even when I met him, the media presence around him was still unbelievable. You can't imagine… every move you make is judged by someone. Diuk: He was my idol and still is. It's a shame it didn't work out. He was great to me and I look back on it quite fondly. In my first game playing for him, I got man of the match. The next game, he called me in because in the programme you had your photo taken with the manager and a bottle of champagne. He got that blown up for me and signed it, 'To Diuky, from Paul, the gaffer Gascoigne, well done'. And I was like, 'Oh my god, this is the most amazing thing I've ever had in my life, football-wise'. Black: It was the craziest year of my life but good memories as well. It's always a conversation-starter. People tend to ask as well, 'Oh, you played under Gazza, didn't you? You were his first signing. What was he like?'. And everyone finds him interesting because of what he's done, he's a legend, he's a football icon. And to be around someone like that and to have had that experience, not many people can say that. (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
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Why Sharon Osbourne Fought So Hard To Bring Ozzy Back to England Before His Final Days
When Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, many fans were surprised to learn that he was no longer living in Los Angeles. The Black Sabbath lead singer and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, relocated to England — a plan that was long in the works. The couple spent their last year and a half together living in Buckinghamshire after spending most of their time in Southern California for over two decades. Their mansion will forever remain iconic, thanks to the MTV reality show, The Osbournes, but a return home to the U.K. was calling Sharon. More from SheKnows Two of Ozzy Osbourne's Kids Seemingly Skipped His Funeral After They Were Left Out of Family Statement 'Sharon had wanted to move back to England for years, especially as she got older. England was always home for them, but it became more than that,' an insider told People. 'It was about creating peace and the best life possible together in their final chapter. The path back to England wasn't easy. His health has been fragile for years. … It was a gift, because they got a year and a half together, at home.' In the end, it was the right decision for the tight-knit family ahead of the rocker's passing. 'Ozzy's final days were spent in England, surrounded by family, music, and in the place he called home. He was in peace,' the source added. The couple returned to England in February 2023, and Ozzy explained to The Guardian that they were no longer keen about the political strife that had been plaguing the U.S. over the last decade. 'Everything's f—ing ridiculous there. I'm fed up with people getting killed every day,' he said to the media outlet in August 2022. 'God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert… It's f—ng crazy.' 'And I don't want to die in America. I don't want to be buried in f—ing Forest Lawn,' Ozzy said of the famous Hollywood cemetery. 'I'm English. I want to be back. But saying that, if my wife said we've got to go and live in Timbuktu, I'll go.' Being the ultimate businesswoman, though, Sharon brokered a deal for a 10-part BBC reality show, Home to Roost, which chronicles their move back to England — it hasn't aired yet, but it might, according to Deadline. If the momager had her way, she would have returned to their home country sooner, but Ozzy's chronic health problems, including his 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease, kept them in the U.S. 'It just seems that every time we're set to go, something happens with Ozzy's health,' she said on The Osbournes Podcast in July 2024. 'We'll get there. We want to go back so bad, but we'll get there. Won't we, Ozzy?' They made it home with the move becoming permanent in March 2025 after bouncing between two countries for a few years, just in time for Ozzy to enjoy the comforts of home with of SheKnows Tom Cruise's Full Dating History Is Filled With Many A-List Women Who Is Pamela Anderson Dating? Inside Her Relationship History All the Best Fashion Moments from Lindsay Lohan's Acting Comeback Solve the daily Crossword
