England legend Paul Gascoigne has criticized the lack of emotion shown by some players when scoring for the national team, saying their silent celebrations “drive me crazy”.
Thomas Tuchel’s team is preparing to play four matches in the European Nations League, starting with a match against World Cup Spain wins at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
England will next face the Czech Republic twice and Croatia, as Tuchel continues to build his squad ahead of the next major tournament.
Gascoigne, who won 57 caps and became a leading figure in the national team during the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96, believes representing England should mean more to the current generation.
“I loved playing for my country,” Gascoigne said. “I wore that white shirt, thought about my family, and made them proud.” talkSPORT.
❤️ “I loved playing for my country… I’m so emotional right now!”
😡 “I see some players scoring goals and not even celebrating, and it drives me crazy!”
Paul Gascoigne does not like the number of players withdrawing from the England squad! ?????????????????? pic.twitter.com/pQ5lrk8TRy
– talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 22, 2026
“Talking about it now is very emotional. Playing for your country means a lot.
“I see some players when they score and they don’t really celebrate. It drives me crazy.”
Gascoigne recalls a story from his early days with England to underscore how important scoring goals for his country is to him.
“I scored and there was no one in the audience. So I jumped the fence and celebrated on the highway.”
Gascoigne questions England withdrawals
Gascoigne also criticized the number of players who have withdrawn from Tuchel’s latest England squad.
Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Tino Livramento and Kobe Maino all withdrew from the group for the four matches in the UEFA Nations League. The athlete Which indicates that players exit due to the minutes they have accumulated over a continuous period of time.
Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner were later called up, while John Stones, Reece James and Jade Spence were already unavailable due to injury.
Cole Palmer is also absent from the squad after being overlooked for England’s World Cup campaign in North America.
“You see some of them pulling the team. It’s not very good,” Gascoigne said.
