A grieving Paul Gascoigne has paid a loving tribute to his father after a tender goodbye at his funeral.

The former England and Newcastle midfielder, 50, said he was “missing my Dad so much” and that his father would want him to remember the “fantastic” times they spent together.

The funeral of John Gascoigne, who died from cancer aged 72 earlier this month, was held in his Gateshead hometown.

The words “grandad,” “dad” and his nickname “Gassa” were spelled out in flowers in front of a car, upon which a number “19” football shirt and a framed photograph of John Gascoigne were displayed.

Gascoigne, who was particularly close to his father, later tweeted: “MISSING MY DAD SO MUCH&IF ANY1 ELSE HAS LOST A LOVED ONE MY HEART GOES OUT 2 YOU’S ALL thanks so much 2 all my family for staying strong thanks to shame&mark at Kong events a fantastic guesture re the car&the tweets are incredible a huge thanks from my DAD x”

Along with a photograph showing him smiling and posing with his father at the Colosseum in Rome, Gascoigne also added: “Knowing my DAD I’m sure he would like me to show the fantastic times we spent together,he loved life I’m just very fortune to be his SON,plus he will probably be going mad with me for talking about him,the will to win,NO “HE HAD THE”WANT”TO HAVE THE WILL TO WIN XX LOVE TO ALL x”