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Gareth Southgate Leaves Role as England Manager After Euro 2024 Loss to Spain

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVJuly 16, 2024

BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 14: England manager Gareth Southgate looks on after the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Gareth Southgate announced Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role as manager of England's men's national soccer team.

In a statement posted on the official England Football website, Southgate wrote the following:

"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."

England @England

After 102 games and almost eight years in charge, Gareth Southgate has announced he is to leave his role as manager of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThreeLions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThreeLions</a>.

Southgate, who managed England in 102 matches since taking over as manager in 2016, got the Three Lions to the Euro 2024 final on Sunday; however, they fell 2-1 to Spain.

England were in search of their first-ever men's title at the UEFA European Championship, but an 86th-minute goal by Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal broke a 1-1 tie and hearts of English fans.

According to ESPN's James Olley, the English Football Association wanted Southgate to stay on as manager through at least the 2026 World Cup, but his contract was set to expire in December, and he decided to step away.

Southgate enjoyed a long and successful career as a player for Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough from 1988 until 2006.

He then served as Middlesbrough's manager from 2006 through 2009 before taking the job as England's Under-21 squad manager in 2013.

Southgate was elevated to the role of men's English senior national team manager in 2016 following the resignation of Roy Hodgson.

Although England never won a major trophy with Southgate at the helm, they came close on numerous occasions, including finishing as the runner-up at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, securing England's two best finishes ever at the European Championship.

Southgate also guided England at the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022, getting them out of the group stage both times.

The Three Lions finished in fourth place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and they were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The England men's side have only one major trophy to their credit between the World Cup and the Euros, that being the 1966 World Cup.

Despite England consistently being among the top teams in the world since then, they have continually fallen just short of sealing the deal, and it happened once again at Euro 2024 in Germany.

While the result was disappointing, Southgate expressed confidence that England have the players needed to finally get over the hump in the near future, saying:

"The squad we took to Germany is full of exciting young talent and they can win the trophy we all dream of. I am so proud of them, and I hope we get behind the players and the team at St. George's Park and the FA who strive every day to improve English football, and understand the power football has to drive positive change."

Southgate also said England have "the best fans in the world," before noting that he is "an England fan and I always will be."

While it isn't yet clear who will replace the 53-year-old Southgate as England's manager, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, former Chelsea manager Graham Potter and former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino are among the leading candidates, per Olley.