While on-the-pitch punch-ups have again raised fears for the future of professional football, one player is still busy waging war with himself.

Middlesbrough's Paul Gascoigne left the pitch in tears of agony after an X-rated challenge against Aston Villa on Monday night.

The former England midfielder broke his left forearm. Oppponent George Boateng was lucky he didn't break his face.

Gazza would almost certainly have been given a red card if the referee had seen the incident. He has since been charged with misconduct by the Football Association.

The humiliating exit, which brought a premature end to Gazza's return after injury, is the latest setback for a star who appears to stumble from calamity to crisis.

While his fans will be at pains to point out the inspirational flashes of genius - his goal against Scotland in the Euro 96 finals is one example - the wider footballing world despairs.

Whenever Gazza is perched on the verge of greatness, he trips on his own metaphorical shoelaces. Perhaps it is this unnerving ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory that has made him such an icon of English football.

July 1990: Just another budding young face in the England squad, Gazza is splashed on the front pages after bursting into tears during the World Cup semi-final with West Germany. Some mistakenly think this spontaneous act of sobbing came after England's defeat - in fact it was Gazza's reaction to being shown the yellow card, which would have ruled him out of the final had England won.

May 1991: Already touted as a flourishing genius, Gazza promises all and delivers nothing for Spurs in the FA Cup final. He makes a lunging challenge on Nottingham Forest's Gary Charles, and ends up on the stretcher. Diagnosis: torn cruciate right knee ligaments. Doctors order's: 16 months out of the game.

September 1992: Lasts just 45 minutes in his debut match for top-flight Italian team Lazio, after again injuring his right knee.

October 1992: Struggling with the language barrier, he swears on Norwegian television.

January 1993: Still struggling with the unwritten rules of on-screen etiquette, he provokes outrage by belching into a microphone when asked how he feels about being dropped by his Italian club.

August 1993: Returns to Rome after a summer break in England, a stone-and-a-half overweight.

December 1993: Back in Rome again after the seasonal break, but this time with a thigh strain incurred by getting out of bed.

January 1994: Breaks rib in a match against Sampdoria, then held by police after allegedly punching a press photographer in the Italian capital.

April 1994: Breaks his jinxed right knee while training for Lazio and is off the pitch for a year.

July 1994: Tells a Sunday paper that he bullied and beat up his girlfriend Sheryl Kyle.

May 1995: Now with Rangers after a £4.3m signing, provokes fury among the Catholic community by playing an imaginary flute after scoring for the team.

February 1996:While wife Sheryl gives birth to their baby boy, Regan, Gazza is reportedly on a drinking binge hundreds of miles away.

October 1996: Viciously attacks Sheryl, leaving her with a cut and bruised face. Sent off for Rangers as his team loses 4-1 to Ajax in the Champions' League. Tell the press: "I'm a disgrace."

January 1998: Back with his imaginary flute, this time during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park.

May 1998: Dropped from the England World Cup squad after late nights "on the town" with media mates Danny Baker and Chris Evans lead to doubts about his fitness.

September 1998: Now with Middlesbrough, boss Bryan Robson gives him an ultimatum over his drinking habit. A month later he checks into that notorious rest up for stressed and depressed celebrities, the Priory Hospital.

February 2000: Gascoigne is charged with misconduct by the Football Association, after elbowing George Boateng in a Premiership match with Aston Villa. The midfielder breaks his arm in the clash.