From player to boss: Southgate's journey to become one of England's best ever managers
By Jamel Smith, ITV News Producer
Gareth Southgate has stepped down as England's manager saying it is time for a "new chapter" for the national team.
His announcement comes after England lost 2-1 in the Euro final against Spain on Sunday extending the Three Lions' 58-year wait for a major trophy.
Despite this being the second time England has lost in a major tournament final, Southgate will still be considered one of the most successful England managers in history.
ITV News takes a look back at how Southgate took England closer to World Cup or European Championship glory than any manager other than Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966.
Former life as a budding football player
Southgate, 53, who is from Crawley in West Sussex started his professional career at Crystal Palace in 1990 - making his debut as a substitute in the EFL Cup, formerly League Cup, tie against Southend United.
He eventually captained the team under Alan Smith and helped the Eagles win the Division One title in 1993-94 to secure their promotion to the Premier League.
Earning the nickname ‘Nord,’ a moniker given to him by coach Wally Downes who likened his speech to the late ITV presenter Denis Norden, he made a total of 191 appearances and scored 22 goals at Palace.
Following Palace’s relegation from the Premier League in 1995, Southgate joined Aston Villa for £2.5 million and switched to centre-back. He was a part of an incredible defence alongside Ugo Ehiogu.
Villa won the 1996 League Cup final, qualified for the UEFA Cup and reached the 2000 FA Cup final where they lost to Chelsea.
The Watford-born manager also played for the England national team. In the 1996 Euro semi-final shoot-out against Germany at Wembley, the Three Lions’ reliable defender Southgate stepped up to take a penalty.
To his dismay, the German goalkeeper saved his shot, causing England to exit the tournament. Later, Southgate joked about the incident in a Pizza Hut advert with Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle, who had their own penalty misses in the 1990 World Cup.
He was capped 57 times for England and scored twice.
In July 2021, Southgate left Villa after making 243 appearances to join Middlesbrough for £6.5 million under Steve McClaren.
He would later be made captain and lift the 2004 League Cup in Cardiff.
Boro also managed to play in the 2006 UEFA Cup final where they lost 4-0 to Sevilla. The match was Southgate’s final appearance as a professional player.
From player to boss - Southgate's first management role
It was with Boro that Southgate had his first experience of management, taking over as boss in the summer of 2006 following the departure of Steve McClaren to take over as England manager.
However, his managerial performance was criticised leading to Boro being relegated in 2009 and Southgate eventually being sacked shortly into the next season.
Out of 151 matches, Boro won 45, drew 43 and lost 63.
In August 2013, Southgate, who was the Football Association’s head of elite development, was appointed the manager of England’s Under-21 team.
His managerial skills certainly improved after Middlesbrough, the squad had a near-perfect qualification campaign for the 2015 Euros, but England then failed to make it out of the group stages.
He then led the young Three Lions to victory in the Toulon Tournament in the summer - the first time in 22 years England had won the tournament.
Southgate becomes one of England's most successful managers
In September 2016, Sam Allardyce resigned as England’s senior team manager following the Daily Telegraph’s investigation into alleged corruption in football. Southgate was propelled as the temporary manager for four qualifying games in the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Southgate would go on to be the permanent man in charge and lead England into its first World Cup semi-final appearance in 28 years, capturing the country’s dream that football would finally come home.
The Three Lions beat Colombia on penalties, and had a 2-1 victory over Sweden but lost 2-1 in extra time to Croatia.
After the tournament, Southgate tube station in Enfield, London, was renamed ‘Gareth Southgate’ for two days.
England's successes continued in 2019, as the Three Lions placed third in the UEFA Nations League.
They finished top of their group defeating Spain for the first time in 31 years 3-2, but lost 3-1 to the Netherlands 3-1 in the semi-final.
Southgate’s England would touch the tips of glory in the 2020 Euros by making their first major tournament final in 55 years.
The Three Lions finished top of their group thwarting Croatia and the Czech Republic 1-0 and drawing with Scotland.
England finally had their revenge and defeated Germany 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, their first win over the Germans in a knockout match since England's 1966 World Cup victory.
They had a 4-0 victory over Ukraine in the quarter-final and a 2-1 semi-final win in extra time against Denmark.
But in the final, England lost a penalty shootout to Italy, thwarting the Three Lions' chances to lift a major trophy.
Southgate defended Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and other Black British players who missed their penalty shot in the final after they suffered extensive racial abuse online.
“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable,” Southgate said.
“Some of it has come from abroad, we have been told this, but some of it is from this country.
“We have been a beacon of light to bring people together and the national team stands for everybody. We felt the energy and positivity from the fans and I’m incredibly proud of that.”
England then suffered further losses in the UEFA Nations League in 2022, including a 4-0 defeat against Hungary - their worst home defeat since 1928 - leading to Southgate facing mass criticism.
Southgate was jeered for much of the second half of the match as chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” rang around the stands.
England was relegated to League B of the Nations League, failing to win any of their six games in a group that also contained Italy and Germany.
The squad made it to the quarter-final in the 2022 World Cup, losing 2-1 to France, making Southgate doubt whether he wanted to continue as manager.
Southgate's England loss in Euro 2024 final leads to his resignation
England’s 2024 campaign has been rocky, to say the least. An underwhelming 1-0 win over Serbia and draws with Denmark and Slovenia were enough to top Group C.
Southgate and England captain Harry Kane were criticised for the Three Lions’ conservative and unimaginative performances.
BBC's Gary Lineker called England’s display “s***” on a podcast, having said that captain Kane “needs to do a lot better”.
They secured a 2-1 win against Slovakia and redeemed their Euro 2020 penalty loss by easily winning a shootout against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Substitute Ollie Watkins late semi-final winner against the Netherlands, led Southgate's Three Lions the chance to defy the odds and pick up the Euros trophy.
However, the mightily impressive Spain stood in their way to join the 1966 World Cup team in football immortality.
Spain's clean passes and their control of possession led to Nico William's 47th-minute goal assisted by 17-year-old Lamine Yamal.
Cole Palmer’s equaliser was not enough in the final as Mikel Oyarzabal's late goal sealed La Roja's win.
On the day after the Euro final, Southgate said: "To lose a final is incredibly tough... Firstly, congratulations to Spain. They were the best team in the tournament. They were the best team tonight.
"Our players have been incredible, they’ve given everybody some incredible nights. They couldn’t have given any more in terms of their effort, their desire, their character."
Southgate then decided to resign as England manager just two days after his team's defeat.
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher described his time as manager as a “great ride”.
In a post on X, Carragher said: “It’s been a great ride for all involved over the last eight years.
“Two finals, semi-final and a quarter-final in Gareth Southgate’s four tournaments is a very tough act to follow!”
A distraught Southgate now leaves the England squad before their journey to the 2026 World Cup, but who knows what the future will hold for one of the most successful England managers in history.
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