Gareth Southgate resigns as England manager after Euro 2024 final defeat
Gareth Southgate has resigned as England manager after his side lost a second Euros final in a row.
Writing a statement, shared by the official England account on X, Southgate said: “As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.
“But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.”
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Southgate’s team came from behind to level with Spain in the German capital but was beaten by a late winner. He said after the match that the “best team of the tournament” had won.
Thanking England fans, who Southgate said were the “best in the world,” he added that he “looks forward to watching players go on to create more special memories and to connect and inspire the nation as we know they can”.
The England X account posted on social media saying: “After 102 games and almost eight years in charge, Gareth Southgate has announced he is to leave his role as manager of the #ThreeLions.”
The account’s biography was also updated to say: “Thank you, Gareth.”
‘All-round class act’
Leading tributes to Southgate’s time as manager, the Prince of Wales shared a picture of the two of them together, saying that he wanted to thank him “not as the president of the Football Association but as an England fan”.
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“Thank you for showing humility, compassion, and true leadership under the most intense pressure and scrutiny,” Prince William’s statement said, finishing by calling Southgate an “all-round class act”.
Former England striker and broadcaster Gary Lineker – who reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup – said that Southgate brought “pride, respect and a togetherness to England that we hadn’t seen for a long time”.
Lineker added: “He was close, very close to footballing immortality and he always did the job with humility, decency and dignity. Thank you, Gareth.”
The 53-year-old took charge of the Three Lions in autumn 2016. Two years later, he took them to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia, becoming the first England manager to do so since Bobby Robson in 1990.
In the round of 16, they beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties, after losing on spot-kicks in three previous World Cups.
Under his leadership, they also reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, played in Qatar, and the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley (held in 2021), losing to Italy on penalties.
Southgate was non-committal about his future following the Euro 2024 defeat to Spain, saying he needed to have “conversations with important people behind the scenes”.
But he had a “drained demeanour at times in Germany”, Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris said.
He has been “hurt by the level of scrutiny and scorn”, Harris added.
‘Thank you, Gaffer’
Reacting to Southgate’s resignation, Three Lions midfielder Declan Rice posted on Instagram, saying: “Thank you, Gaffer. It’s been a privilege to play for England under your guidance.
“Memories that will stay with me forever. All the best in your next adventure.”
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also thanked Southgate, wishing him “all the best in his next steps”.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said: “Whoever steps up to take on the job has a very tough act to follow.”
Alan Smith, another former England star, added that Southgate “brought an enjoyment to the job [and] took the fear out of it to a certain extent”.
He said: “My reaction is one of sadness that he has gone, because he is a fine individual, we all know that, but going on to the World Cup was perhaps a step too far given the nature of the performances (at Euro 2024), rather than getting to the final, which was a great achievement.”
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Smith said he believed that Southgate had been worn down by criticism he received over England’s performance during Euro 2024, but ended his statement by saying: “We can only thank him for what he has done for the national side.”
Singer and former One Direction star, Louis Tomlinson, also posted on X about the former England manager saying: “Thank you Gareth Southgate for the incredible memories you’ve given us all over the last eight years!”