After eight years, four major tournaments, and two finals, Gareth Southgate announced on Tuesday that he would be stepping down as England manager, stating it was “time for change.”
Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the European Championship final marked his final game in charge of the national team.
“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honor of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all,” he said. “But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter.”
Southgate’s contract was set to expire this year and his announcement follows months of speculation about his future.
Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute winner in Berlin was a heartbreaking end to his tenure, during which he revitalized England’s previously underperforming national team.
Hired in 2016, Southgate took England to back-to-back finals at the Euros and a World Cup semifinal in 2018.
However, he could not end the country’s long wait for a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
“Gareth, I want to thank you – not as the President of the FA, but as an England fan,” Prince William said on X. “Thank you for creating a team that stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest in 2024. Thank you for showing humility, compassion, and true leadership under the most intense pressure and scrutiny. And thank you for being an all-round class act. You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved.”
Southgate had indicated before the European Championship that he would likely step down if England did not win.
He faced sharp criticism for the team’s early performances during the tournament, with some fans even throwing plastic beer cups in his direction after a 0-0 draw with Slovenia in the group stage.
Despite this, he achieved what no other England manager had by taking his team to two finals, including one on foreign soil.
“Gareth has made the impossible job possible and laid strong foundations for future success. He is held in the highest regard by the players, the backroom team, by everyone at the FA, and across the world of football,” said Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the English Football Association.
Before Southgate, England had won only seven knockout games at tournaments since 1966. Under his leadership, the team won nine.
England also maintained a top-five position in FIFA’s rankings for six years under Southgate, a feat previously achieved for only seven months.
Southgate was not an obvious choice when he took over after Sam Allardyce’s one-match reign ended after just 67 days in charge.
With only a three-year stint at Middlesbrough as his managerial experience in club soccer, his credentials were modest. However, he was respected within the FA for his work with England’s under-21 team, and he exceeded expectations with the senior team.
The 2018 World Cup semifinal came after England’s humiliating exit to Iceland at Euro 2016 and failure to advance beyond the group stage of the 2014 World Cup.
In the 2021 Euros, Southgate led his team to the final, which they lost to Italy in a penalty shootout.
England was tied 1-1 with Spain in the final on Sunday before Oyarzabal’s late winner.
“We look back at Gareth’s tenure with huge pride – his contribution to the English game, including a significant role in player development, and in culture transformation has been unique. However, it is his record of winning tournament games which is most extraordinary,” Bullingham said.
Southgate was seen as a unifying figure during a period of political upheaval in England, taking over shortly after a divisive referendum on leaving the European Union and witnessing five different prime ministers during his time in charge.
“Gareth Southgate’s greatest achievement was not on the pitch, but in the standard that he has set for how a role model and representative of our country should conduct themselves,” Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said on X. “His legacy will be a generation of young people who have learned from him that leadership is primarily about decency, integrity and bringing honor to others. That is worth more to our country than any trophy.”
Attention now turns to finding Southgate’s successor, with the FA stating the process is already underway.
Jurgen Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager at the end of last season but expressed a desire to take a break.
Former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is currently unemployed, as is former Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel.
Sarina Wiegman has led the England Women’s team to success in the Euros and to the World Cup final last year.
Leading English contenders could include Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, former Chelsea managers Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, and England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley.
England plays Ireland in the Nations League on Sept. 7, but the FA said it was prepared to go into that match with an interim coach rather than rush the decision on the next manager.