Top 5 English midfielders of the Premier League era

#4 Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne was often under-fire for his inability to control his vices.

Gascoigne is one of the most talked about English personalities in world football. A brilliant footballer and personality, too bad he became a victim of his own success.

Ironically, he missed the ushering-in of the Premier League era in '92 as he moved to Lazio from Tottenham where the messianic aura which surrounds him led a high-court federal judge to question if the Englishman was more famous than the Duke of Wellington after the Battle of Waterloo.

The antics of Gazza - who the National Football Museum dubbed the "the most naturally gifted English midfielder of his generation" - often overshadowed his ridiculous talents as a footballer.

But some of his best work still came on the football pitch. Often, with English footballers, you pray they get rid of the ball quickly, but with Gascoigne you wished he never let go of it. Except to shoot, which led him to score 10 goals in 50 appearances for his national side.

He had a 110 in his club career including his humdinger for Tottenham, against bitter bitter rivals Arsenal, in the FA Cup semi-final in '91.