Former England star Paul Gascoigne signs for Sunday league side

Gascoigne, who played for Newcastle, Spurs, Lazio and Rangers during his career, has signed for Division Four outfit Abbey.

The midfielder, who made 57 appearances for his country, made his debut for Newcastle in 1985 at the age of 17 before securing a British record transfer of £2.3m to Tottenham in 1988.

The now 47-year-old helped England reach the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and scored a sublime goal against Scotland in Euro 96.

Gascoigne suffered a string of personal problems throughout his career and during his retirement, but will now return to action and could make his debut against either Rentech Repairs or ARC.

Abbey’s manager Chris Foster, who works as a taxi driver, had Gascoigne as a fare and took him to the shops to buy cigarettes before seizing his chance.

"I gave him the cigarettes and pulled out the signing-on form at the same time. He signed it there and then," Foster told the Daily Echo.

"I was chuffed to bits and ran to the car as fast as I could. I was skipping like a 14-year-old."

The Bournemouth FA confirmed to the BBC that Gascoigne had indeed registered and was eligible to play immediately.