Paul Gascoigne has hit back at Snoop Dogg after the American rapper posted pictures of him to illustrate the negative effects of alcohol abuse. The 47-year-old rapper was branded “nasty” after he shared images of the England football legend on Instagram, seemingly to highlight alcohol’s damaging impact over time.
In his Instagram post, Snoop juxtaposed images of the two men aged 20 and then again at 47, captioning them “Alcohol Abuse” and “Marijuana Abuse” to emphasise Gascoigne’s more marked physical change. Gazza, 52, spoke out against the rapper on Thursday, tweeting: “Just back from doing charity work in Spain then just when U thought it was safe2get out of the water f***ing snoop dog turns up. FFS SHANE (his manager) what’s he snooping about for, from GAZZA x.”
He followed up his Twitter message the following day, posting an image of a dog sporting a gold chain and the rapper's signature 90s hairstyle. He captioned the photo: “Morning @SnoopDogg get your lazy a*** out of bed it’s walkies time woof woof you ugly t*** LOVE GAZZA xxx.” Fans laughed at the provocative move, with one commenting: “Can honestly say it feels great to be alive knowing I was here to witness gazza beefing with snoop dog.”
The former footballer has famously struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues over the years. He has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and had several stints in rehab for drugs and alcohol addiction. But fans of the sporting legend praised him for trying to get back “on the straight and narrow”, telling him to “take no notice” of Snoop’s controversial message.
Contrary to his Friday morning tweet, the former Tottenham player also posted a less personal – and less inflammatory – dog message on Thursday. Rather than a chain-wearing pooch, Gazza shared an image of the cartoon character Snoopy, with the caption: “If they respect you, respect them. If they disrespect you, still respect them. Do not allow the actions of others to decrease your good manners, because you represent yourself, not others.” This response was praised as “perfect” by one Twitter fan.
It has not been confirmed whether Snoop knows who Gazza is or if he’s aware of the former midfielder's personal struggles. However, while many social media users lashed out against the 47-year-old’s Instagram post, others have offered him the benefit of the doubt.
