Paul Gascoigne is a UK footballer known for his talent and unbridled disposition. In the football environment, he received the nickname Gazza. He played as a midfielder, was a key player in England for about 10 years (1988-1998). But Paul Gascoigne became famous not only for his amazing game. A football player's antics on and off the pitch are known to many football fans.
From the football field to the clinic
The story of Gazza should not begin from the day of his birth, but from the moment when he turned from a hero of the nation into a prisoner of the white walls of one of the clinics in Arizona. How did a nice guy from England end up in a US hospital? The culprit was the lifestyle that the footballer adhered to. Constant parties, sleepless nights, many women, soft drugs. And most importantly - alcohol, a lot of alcohol.
"Paul Gascoigne is an alcoholic" was a frequent headline in English newspapers of the time. “Gazza” drank a lot, what can we hide. Often, binges were replaced by deep depressions, which required even more alcohol. However, the body, exhausted by the partying, was already beginning to rebel. The pills were saved. And he had no time for football.
Despite this, Gascoigne can be called lucky. He is not one of the class of famous personalities that friends turned away from during a serious problem. It was the relatives who came to the aid of the downcast midfielder, who needed support more than ever.
And not only the relatives tried to help this cheerful and sympathetic guy from Foggy Albion. Even the fans did not stand aside, trying to support their idol. Paul Gascoigne does not agree to treatment, convinces others that he can cope on his own. However, in the end, he gives up and travels to distant Arizona. It was the beginning of the 2000s, Gazza's career was rapidly going to decline ...
Namesake of McCartney and Lennon
Many believed that Paul Gascoigne was so crazy because of his difficult childhood. Gazza's family was poor, money appeared very rarely. Due to the difficult financial situation, brother future star football and was completely sent to a boarding school.
The full name of the midfielder is Paul John. He was born during the period of popularity of the "Beatles", and therefore was named in their honor. Paul Gascoigne now boasts a beautiful life. At that time, the Gascoigne family had to get out with all their might. My father worked at a construction site, carrying out the dirtiest assignments. Mother worked at all in three jobs. There was never any money. But the family had four children.
First steps in football
Initially, the boy kicked the ball to distract himself from the gray poor life. There was little entertainment in England at the time, and many were starting to drink. However, Paul, as a child, set out to play football on professional level... The dream began to come true at the age of 17 when he joined Newcastle, which was not the last club in Great Britain at the time. He soon found himself in the youth squad of the national team.
He got his nickname while playing for the reserve squad. However, there is a legend that it appeared after one of the commentators uttered the phrase: "This player turned the field into a Gaza Strip."
Outstanding footballer with one "but"
Paul Gascoigne is a talented footballer and it's hard to argue with that. He is very good, despite the fact that he cannot boast of a mountain of cups and titles. Many of today's football fans will laugh at the trophy count of Ronaldo or Rooney. Paul Gascoigne could become a superstar and conquer the best stadiums peace, but frequent injuries and drunkenness did not allow him to climb to the top.
Already in childhood, he began to undergo injuries, breaking his arms twice and breaking his head. Once, while exploring a construction site, he stepped on a rusty nail, after which he miraculously did not lose his foot. He attracted injuries like a magnet. As a professional football player, he missed about 4.5 years in total, visited the surgeon's table more than 20 times.
This whole unpleasant picture was complemented by stress, violation of the regime, alcohol, problems with overweight... It's even surprising: how did this guy get to the European and World Championships? And not just to get there, but to play at a high level.
Addiction to alcohol
It is not known for certain when Gazza began to kiss the glass. And it was difficult to find a non-drinking football player in England during the 60-80s. Many legends English league they could calmly get drunk in the evening, and go out on the field in the morning in an important match.
Gazza was one of these players. The midfielder did not miss a single opportunity to “flood his eyes”. He drank before, after, before and after matches. There are cases when Paul "rolled" during the breaks of fights. In 1996 he played for the Scottish Rangers. The first half of the game for the Cup of the country has passed. The game is not going very well for the Rangers, which is part of Gazza's fault. The midfielder, without thinking twice, heads to the bar, where he drinks, and then enters the field. Surprisingly, he scored twice in the second half. He did this more than once.
European Championship in England
In 1996, the European championship was entrusted to the ancestor of football. The English team has collected best footballers of that time, among them was Paul Gascoigne. The midfielder was sure that this was his chance to shine to the whole world, and even quit drinking. However, it breaks down just before the start, when it goes to the training camp in Hong Kong. Gazza's birthday, why not throw a feast on board the plane? It doesn't end very well: broken TVs, harassment of flight attendants ...
Despite this, England became one of the favorites for the 1996 European Championship, with Paul scoring his most famous goal. However, in the semifinals, the British could not beat the Germans in the penalty shootout. Bottom line - Gazza gets drunk and cries in his room.
The last years of Gascoigne the football player
The 1998 World Cup becomes main goal Paul. He understands that his career is coming to an end, and he is already in his fourth decade. Gascoigne is doing well qualifying, but just before leaving he finds out that he was not included in the list of the main squad. This news shocks Gazza and becomes the beginning of the end. He did not follow the games of the national team, only occasionally finding out the news in the bar, where he spent most of the time.
For several years he grabbed every opportunity to stay in football. He played in China and the USA, but he didn't have enough for a long time. In 2005, he tries himself as a coach, but here too he will be disappointed. In the end, Paul just waved his hand and gradually began to drown in his worries and alcohol.
Then there were the clinics that pulled out former star from the other world. He did not appear in the football environment, but the fans did not forget about him. He often attended various shows, where he became, rather, a comedian than a football player. And he made people laugh. Despite leaving football, he remained the same simple guy.
Paul's antics
Of course, Gazza was known as an alcoholic of world football, but do not forget about his funny antics, which made fans laughing on the floor:
- and Paul Gascoigne once had a fight on the pitch. Winnie grabbed Paul for his manhood, for which he received a rose in the locker room, in response he sent a toilet brush.
- There was a case when Gazza showed up in a bar in the form of the national team.
- Took a hammer away from a worker and began pounding the asphalt on one of the streets of Great Britain, laughing wildly at the same time.
- He made fun of Brotherton by sending a transvestite to his number.
- In one of the matches, he picked up a yellow card that the referee dropped and showed it to him. For this he received the same card in return.
- Once he sniffed under the armpit of the judge when he raised his hand.
- He treated his comrades to a pie filled with the excrement of a football player.
During his rather long sports career, Vincent (or just Vinnie) Jones won only one serious trophy. In 1988, the Crazy Gang, as Wimbledon was called at the time, unexpectedly for many - and perhaps for itself - won the FA Cup, beating the mighty Liverpool in the final. Neither before nor after this did the modest London club with more than a century of history conquer such peaks. And certainly never in his ranks was there a more scandalous person than Mr. Jones.
AX IN THE CAREER
About the style of play Vinnie Jones His nickname - Ax will say more eloquently than any words. Defender Jones never stood on ceremony with his rivals, and the most suspicious of them preferred to bypass the bully from Watford on the tenth road. Not everyone succeeded. In his first season at Wimbledon, the young defender effectively put an end to the playing career of his colleague from Tottenham Gary Stevens. The poor man never managed to recover from severe injury received from Jones' leg, and was forced to complete performances at the age of 30.
GASZA SECTOR
In 1988, there was perhaps the most famous incident involving Jones' defender. After the match between Wimbledon and Newcastle, English newspapers circulated spicy footage in which Vinnie squeezed ... the genital organ of Paul Gascoigne, at that time the rising star of the England national team. “The victim” recalled later: “I never resented the strict guardianship on the part of the opponent, but there was natural aggression. I constantly felt his breath behind my back. In one of the episodes, he approached me and said: “My name is Vinnie Jones. I am a gypsy and make a lot of money. I'll bite off your ear and spit it out on the grass. You are mine, fat man! “. Fortunately, there was no self-harm. But this incident has established Jones at the top of the ranking of the most inveterate hooligans in British football.
LOAD IN THREE SECONDS
It is not surprising that for a long time it was Jones who held the national record for the most red cards in his career. Furious Vinnie was kicked out of the field 12 times by the judges. Over time, Manchester United's longtime leader Roy Keane has “improved” this result with a collection of 13 penalties. Another “achievement” of our hero remained unsurpassed - a warning on the 3rd second (!) Of the game. Jones contrived to get it in a Chelsea shirt in 1992. The unwitting co-author of this record was Sheffield United midfielder Dan Whitehouse.
Tough guy
In the same 1992, the football association soldered a fine of £ 20,000 to Jones "for discrediting football." The player flew "a pretty penny" to participate in the sensational film "Tough Boys of Football". In it, Vinnie and several of the same “specific guys” openly shared the secrets of “skill” - how to make an opponent more painful, or even completely turn them off from the game.
UNKIND NEIGHBOR
It is easy to guess that in Everyday life Vinnie was not distinguished by exemplary behavior. The footballer has repeatedly been brought to administrative responsibility for drunk driving and various drunken fights - when alone, and when in the company of drinking companions at Wimbledon. For the time being, these "little pranks" got away with Jones, but at the end of his playing career, he really almost thundered behind bars. In 1997, Vinnie was arrested for beating a neighbor, with whom he quarreled over disagreements over land boundaries. It's lucky for Winnie that the court only sentenced him to a £ 1,150 fine and 100 hours of community service. Jones made up for his guilt by painting the walls in a nursing home and other good deeds in institutions for the poor and orphans.
VICTIM
In December 2008, already being a famous film actor, Vinnie again fell into an ugly story. While on vacation in the United States, he started a brawl in a bar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jones was pissed off by a local guy at the bar asking if he was the X-Men guy. Winnie tried to explain young man and to his friends that the list of his movie heroes is not limited to the role of the "dumb-headed mutant". Word for word ... Jones spent the rest of the evening in a local hospital with head and nose injuries. The dull "Yankees" and his companions, however, also got it.
In November 2013, the 48-year-old football player and actor announced that he had cancer and underwent three surgeries to remove tumors: two on the face and one on the back of the head. It seems that in this fight, even the victims of the defender Jones wish him good luck.
Vinnie Jones is a charismatic professional actor from Great Britain, formerly a football player who played for Chelsea, Wimbledon and Leeds United. This man is known around the world for his unique style of playing football, based on toughness and aggression, and for memorable roles in the popular X-Men films.
Childhood and football
Vinnie Jones's path to fame and recognition was long and difficult. In childhood, at an early age, he became interested in football, began to play it in the nursery sports school... The best specialists in England became his trainers, so after a while Jones had already worked out excellent technique, passing accuracy and "reading" of the game. However, the height of the guy was not suitable, so the road to big football it was closed to him - the coaches did not see the prospects for such a "small" player.
To the world professional football Vinnie got through amateur football - he and a team of like-minded people literally burst into the sports proscenium and attracted the maximum attention of the coaches of professional clubs with a series of devastating victories at the amateur level and in the lower divisions of the country.
Vinnie Jones tough playThe technical and sharp player that Vinnie became was noticed by the country's top clubs. He managed to play in a number of professional clubs from the top division of England, he also participated in international football tournaments as part of the national team for Wales. The choice of the Wales team instead of England is easily explained - Vinnie's behavior on the field closed his way to the English national team, but thanks to the Welsh roots on the mother's side, the player could declare for neighboring Wales.
For an overly tough game and aggressiveness on the field, the player is nicknamed the Ax. He was sent off a huge number of times from the field, his behavior was considered the worst among his contemporaries, he received red cards after a three-second stay on the field. Vinnie has become a kind of legend, an example of how not to do it.
His trick with the Newcastle player still amazes the public - then Vinnie Paul Gascoigne's rival, during the fight for the ball, felt the steel grip of Jones' hand in the most intimate place.
Age brought the career of a football player to its logical conclusion - 33-year-old Vinnie quits sports and goes into the film industry, without having any acting education.
Films
Motivation to succeed and after sports career for Vinnie, there was an article by a sports journalist in which the author noted that "after football, Vinnie will simply disappear and we will never see him again." And although Jones did not like Savor and the veil of Hollywood, he didn't want to be anything after football.
Vinnie's creative biography in the cinema began with films where he played a "tough tough guy." The first work in the filmography of Jones was the cult action movie of the late 90s "Lock, Stock and Two Barrels", soon followed by shooting in the blockbuster "Big Jackpot".
The image was fixed for this actor, because his high growth(187 cm) and impressive physical data, together with a courageous face, organically fit into the image of a "bad guy". Over time, Vinnie became even more brutal, increasing his body weight. During his football career, his weight did not exceed 76 kg, later Jones gained another 13 kg.
It turned out that Vinnie has a hidden talent as an actor, and he is able to play comedic and dramatic roles. For example, the ironic image of a scandalous football player who ended up in prison and decided to put together football team, Vinnie Jones recreated in the comedy "Bonecrusher".
His performance in popular films began to receive positive reviews from film critics, and he won several international awards. But even after that there were film critics who published articles and reviews, predicting the imminent decline of Jones' career. And he will act in film after film.
He was invited to appear in high-budget films, in which the leading roles were played by top stars, and others. Vinnie's repertoire is varied, but he is best at roles in fantastic blockbusters and sports dramas. He has starred in American and British films and received invitations to European and Asian films. True, here he plays the monotonous role of the "tough American guy."
Between 1998 and 2016, Vinnie starred in over 100 motion pictures and television projects. Among his roles - from the superhero action movie "X-Men: The Last Stand", contract killer Sebastian "M" Moran from the detective series "Elementary". Vinnie Jones did not refuse the opportunity to embody the image of a bloodthirsty butcher who kills people in the horror movie "Midnight Express" starring.
In 2013, Vinnie Jones became a member of the original television project. He tried himself in the role of a worker in complex specialties in the project "Really in Russia". So he finally and irrevocably fell in love with the Russian audience. In one interview, the actor shared his impressions of Russia. According to Vinnie Jones, Russians are like the Irish in hospitality. The artist was surprised by the opportunity to travel by train without a break for 24 hours, and the fact that in many regions simple movement between settlements is accompanied by extreme sports. Not without the symbol of Russia - the bear, which Jones had repeatedly met in the taiga.
Vinnie Jones about RussiaVinnie also managed to star in a couple of television projects, work in a newspaper (he led a column on sports) and comment on a number of football matches high level... Vinnie Jones is no stranger to music either - he recorded several blues albums with his own songs, showing boundless musical and creative abilities.
Personal life
Hot guy Vinnie Jones has always been popular with the fairer sex. During his career at Wimbledon, he met Milena Elliston, with whom he began a short relationship. The footballer did not plan a wedding, but in 1991 Milena gave him his first child - the son of Aaron. The boy stayed with his mother, but he also maintains a close relationship with his father.
In the mid-90s, Vinnie decided to settle down and married Tatiana Lamont, his longtime acquaintance, ex-wife of football player Steve Terry. In the family of Winnie and Tanya there are no common children, but the parents raised Tatiana's daughter from her first marriage - Kylie. At one time, the Jones family lived in England near the city of Sheffield. In the early years of marriage, Tanya underwent heart transplant surgery, after which Jones donated his royalties to the clinic from filming in the film that brought him popularity, "Lock, Stock, Two Barrels."
In 2013, the public became aware that Winnie and his wife are struggling with a terrible disease - skin cancer. The actor's wife had been struggling with cancer for 7 years by now. The tumors were caused by hormonal pills that Tanya had been taking for a decade. Vinnie discovered his cancer later. A tumor in the form of a mole appeared on the actor's face.
Over the next two years, the family is doing everything to overcome the disease. Both spouses undergo numerous surgeries to remove tumors. Jones had three growths removed. The actor suspects that they were caused by numerous exits to the football field without protection from UV rays. Fortunately, both spouses manage to overcome such a dangerous disease and restore health.
The press learned that the actor was spinning the novel on the side - a Russian-speaking singer became his chosen one. The novel did not last long, the girl did not intend to arrange her personal life by destroying another family. But the fleeting relationship of the two stars was noticed by reporters from Russian and foreign media, photos of the artists hit the pages of popular tabloids.
Vinnie's character often leads to the fact that he makes scandals. At first, it was brawls, fights and overly aggressive behavior on the football field, then in his personal life. He was caught for drunk driving, overly provocative public behavior and loud parties.
On more than one occasion, it came down to calling the police and bringing charges. The hot-tempered and formidable Winnie was charged by the court for assaulting a neighbor and causing him serious physical harm. He was also found guilty of violating the rules of passenger behavior during the flight - then Vinnie not only got drunk and hit the passenger, but also threatened the pilot and his assistants. The actor paid a fine and completed 80 hours of community service.
Vinnie is not shy about his violent nature, boldly talks about the dirtiest football tricks and claims that he is not touched by criticism. He does not believe that his work has an invaluable contribution to culture or sports. Jones just does what he can.
The controversial Vinnie Jones would not be himself without noble deeds. With his participation, a public service advertisement of the British Heart Foundation was created, in which Winnie, in the form of a "bad guy", explains the principles of heart massage.
Vinnie Jones does not have his own "Instagram", but photos with his favorite actor appear in the profiles of his fans.
Vinnie Jones now
The popular actor regularly receives offers from film producers. Vinnie Jones has a lot to choose from. This action movie from "Mercenary: Absolution", and a fantasy film from "Cross. Part Two: Double Deception ", and a crime thriller with" Life Outside ".
Vinnie Jones in The Cross. Part Two: Double Deception Now the artist's repertoire is ready to be replenished with the crime comedy "Systemic Madness" and the thriller "The Assassin's List", in which Jones' participation is announced.
Filmography
- 1998 - Lock, Stock, Two Barrels
- 2000 - Gone in 60 Seconds
- 2000 - "Big jackpot"
- 2001 - "Bonecrusher"
- 2004 - Big Theft
- 2006 - "Strength and Honor"
- 2006 - X-Men: The Last Stand
- 2008 - "Hell Ride"
- 2010 - Locked
- 2010 - The Irishman
- 2012 - Freelancers
- 2013 - Blood of Atonement
- 2014 - Calculator
- 2015 - "In the grip"
- 2018 - Cunning
Vinnie Jones, a good actor and former footballer, and one of his most famous photographs:
Some people know Vinnie Jones for his roles in the films "Lock, Stock, Two Barrels", "Bone Crusher", "Gone in 60 Seconds" and others. But before getting to the movies, Jones was a professional footballer. About how Vinnie “took care of” the rising star of “Newcastle” Paul Gascoigne, he knows, is ready to assume, any person more or less interested in English football. The fame of this episode of the match “Newcastle” with “Wimbledon” in February 88th received thanks to press photographers, the pictures of which are remembered much better than the outcome of the meeting. Gascoigne himself, who was also never a good guy, in his autobiography devoted several pages to a description of what happened.
We had to play away with Wimbledon, which at that time was an extremely difficult opponent. Mainly thanks to three players - John Fashan, Dennis Wise and Vinnie Jones. The press described upcoming match like a duel between Jones - a tough guy who does not take prisoners - and me, a young talent with a lot of cunning tricks in stock.
During the pre-match warm-up, the camera lenses were turned at me, and I, in turn, could not bring myself not to look at Vinnie, warming up in the opposite half of the field. Even from a distance, he seemed huge to me! I am always nervous before the game, but that time I felt squeezed out even before the starting whistle. Shortly after the start of the match, he came up and croaked in my ear:
My name is Vinnie Jones and I'll fucking be around for the whole game. Do you understand me, fat man? Today there is only you and me!
I knew that experienced players often resort to these methods, especially if they have a young player like me as opponents. But then the threat from Jones affected me in the most serious way. When I first touched the ball, it attacked me so that I flew into the air, must have been five feet. Until the very final whistle, he did not leave me alone for a second, except for one moment when he had to throw the ball out of touch.
- I need to be absent for a couple of seconds, but I, damn it, come back, - Winnie growled, going to the curb.
Our team got the right to the "standard", and Vinnie and I stood in the penalty area, waiting for the serve. He was in front of me, suddenly pulled back his hand and, as if in a vise, squeezed my balls. In pain and surprise, I roared. I think at that moment no one understood what actually happened, especially since the ball flew to another place. But thanks to the photographers, the very next day, all of England knew about it.
Multifaceted, talented and very moody. Vincent Peter Jones played football, acted in films and worked hard. And his path was not strewn with stars.Vinnie Jones childhood and family
Vinnie Jones was born to Peter Jones and Glenda Harris Jones. Like any British boy from childhood, he was in love with football. To this day, Jones holds the school record: neither before nor after him has anyone managed to play in the school team at the age of 9. Soon the boy became a player and then captain of the Hertfordshire national team. At the same time he played in the children's team "Warford".As a child, Vinnie was a rather small and puny little boy, and the club's management considered him a hopeless football player and expelled from the team.
Vinnie Jones football career
Jones has been stubborn and persistent since childhood. Contrary to the coach's opinion, he decided to pursue a football career. In 1984 he became a Veldstone player who played in amateur league... After 2 years, Jones became the winner of the third league of the Swedish championship as part of the Holmsud team, and then returned to Britain and began playing for the Wimbledon team.In 1988, Wimbledon, together with Vinnie Jones, achieved the most significant success in its history - won the FA Cup.
In the late 1980s, Wimbledon was given the unofficial name "team of psychos". Much credit for this unflattering nickname belonged to Vinnie Jones. He was distinguished by a tough and rough game. In one of the games, Jones came on as a substitute and he “managed” to get a yellow card after 3 (!!!) seconds! In total, in his entire football career, Vinnie was sent off the field twelve times.
Most of the fans condemned Jones for playing rough, and the famous striker English clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur Jimmy Greaves once ironically stated that he did not expect any surprises in English football, but it turns out that some consider Vinnie Jones to be an international football player!
However, Jones knew how to play not only rough: in the period from 1988 to 1992 he played for such famous clubs as Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea and was never sent off!
In just a 15-year career as a professional footballer, Vinnie spent more than three hundred official meetings and scored 33 goals.
With such a scandalous reputation, Jones could not even dream of playing for the England national team, but he was invited to play for the Ireland national team, but he could not prove his Irish descent... On the maternal side, Vinnie had Welsh roots and managed to play for the Welsh national team in 9 matches. In some of them, he took to the field as the team captain.
Vinnie Jones is currently
The last football club Jones became Queens Park Ragers, in which Vinnie played the role of playing coach. In 1999, at the age of thirty-three, his football career... The hero of the scandalous football chronicle became the hero of show business.Since the mid-90s of the XX century, he has become a real TV star. Vinnie hosts a TV program "Men and Motors" and a sports column in the newspaper The Sun, participates in various TV shows, comments on football matches.
Vinnie very successfully changed the image of a "tough" football player for a "tough" guy. His image and voice are used by the British dog racing betting company Ladbrokes. Bacardi's commercials advertising spirits were very popular with viewers.
Vinnie Jones' film career: films and roles
Without any special education and work experience, Jones in 1999 made his debut in Guy Ritchie's film Lock, Stock and Two Barrels. And in the new incarnation, Vinnie Jones is helped by the familiar image - he plays the role of the London gangster Big Chris. 
The famous director liked the newcomer's performance and invited him to play the role of Tony in the movie Big Jackpot.
Celebrated the debut of the newly minted actor and film critic. For the roles of Tony and Chris Jones receives several awards, and the famous Dustin Hoffman calls Vinnie the new Bruce Willis.
The successfully found image became business card Jones in subsequent films: "Gone in 60 Seconds", "Swordfish", "Eurotrip". In these and other films, Jones becomes a partner of such Hollywood stars as Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie.
Vinnie Jones' difficult character
And in everyday life, Jones tries not to go out of the way of a guy with a tough character.More than once he was arrested and fined for drunk driving. In 1997, Jones almost ended up in jail for beating a neighbor with whom he argued about the border of the land. The footballer managed to get off with a fine and hundreds of hours of community service.
One day, on his way to Tokyo, Jones got into a fight on a Virgin Atlantic flight. Since then, he has been blacklisted by the company and is not allowed to use its services.
Vinnie himself, not without pride, recalled that when bananas were thrown at his friend John Fashan, he picked them up and threw them back, because I wanted to show everyone that in order to get to Fashan, you first have to meet him.
At the same time, Jones is no stranger to charity. He donated his entire fee - £ 30,000 for Lock, Stock and Two Barrels - to the hospital where his wife had a heart transplant.
Apparently, Vinnie Jones himself said best about his controversial character: he was born in England, was the captain of the Wales national team, but he always loved Ireland, although he went fishing to Scotland.
Vinnie Jones' personal life
While still a player at Wimbledon, Jones met Milena Elliston at a nightclub. The young people began an affair. In 1991, the couple had a son, Aaron.Jones soon parted ways with Milena. The son remained with his mother, but maintained a relationship with him and systematically saw his father.
In 1994, Vinnie Jones married his longtime friend Tanya Lamont. Lamonttimela is Kylie's daughter from her first marriage, whom Vinnie adopted.