Former England soccer star Paul Gascoigne was arrested in Newcastle last night and has been sectioned under Britain's Mental Health Act.

He was detained after Northumbria Police were called to a hotel in Gateshead. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Police attended the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead yesterday evening after we received a report of concern for a 40-year-old man staying at the hotel."

"The man was detained under the Mental Health Act and no-one was injured during the incident."

Gascoigne, widely known as Gazza, has featured almost as much on the front pages of newspapers for his rollercoaster private life as he has on the back pages for his sporting ability.

He won 57 caps for England, scored 10 goals, and was widely regarded as the most gifted player of his generation.

But he has had a troubled life since retiring from top flight football, including well-documented alcohol problems and bouts of depression.

The former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers midfielder endeared himself to the public by famously bursting into tears after a yellow card during England's World Cup semi-final clash against West Germany meant he would have missed the 1990 final had the team not lost on penalties.

Throughout his career, he has been labelled a genius, with his stunning volley against Scotland during Euro 96 at Wembley hailed as one of the best goals scored by an England player.

Despite the professional acclaim, the Gateshead native ended up a self-confessed wife-beater and an alcoholic.

At first, his antics in bars and clubs across Europe had looked like the result of the overblown enthusiasm and thirst for the high life which rapidly became his off-the-pitch trademark.

This, after all, was the man who outraged Italy by belching on national television when asked how he felt about being dropped nine months after completing his £5.5 million move from Spurs to Lazio.

In his autobiography, Gazza: My Story, he admitted headbutting his wife Sheryl and throwing her to the floor during an argument in October 1996, breaking her finger.

After a series of spectacular binges in 1998, he was admitted to a private clinic to tackle the alcohol addiction which he claimed came to dominate his life.

Emerging two weeks later, Gascoigne vowed he would not touch another drop.

He slimmed down, toned down his famed clowning around, changed his appearance and spent much of his spare time in the gym. His aim, he said, was to work his way up the football coaching ladder.

In January 2005, he was hospitalised with pneumonia, sparking fears over his long-term health.

Trouble struck again in December 2005. Gascoigne was arrested for an alleged assault after photographers scrambled to take his picture outside a Liverpool city centre hotel, just hours after he left as manager of Nationwide Conference North club Kettering.

Gascoigne's 39-day reign at Kettering ended in acrimony, with chairman Imraan Ladak claiming the former England midfielder was "under the influence of alcohol before, during and after several first-team games and training sessions".

The assault charges were later dropped by photographer Steve Farrell, 30, from Liverpool.

Another alleged incident with a photographer a year later saw Gascoigne in the news again. In February 2007 it emerged he had agreed to appear in action-horror movie Final Run.

His many fans will be saddened but perhaps not surprised to hear that he has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.