The highs and lows of Gareth Southgate: Can he discover Euros redemption?

Gareth Southgate‘s career as England manager was popularly seen as a quest for redemption, with the prospect of ‘bringing it home’ offered as the ultimate atonement to his personal nadir – that infamous penalty miss at Euro 1996.

Further heartache on Sunday may have robbed Southgate of a fairytale ending, but after delivering the nation so many unforgettable moments he can still walk away – in the words of one supporter – ‘with his head held high’. 

The 53-year-old announced his departure today by calling his eight years as England boss ‘the honour of my life’, before insisting that it was ‘time for change, and for a new chapter’. 

As a player, Southgate won 57 senior caps but will ultimately be most remembered for his semi-final penalty miss again Germany.

Shortly after he starred in an advert for Pizza Hut, where he sat in the restaurant with a brown paper bag on his head, along 1990 penalty missers Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle.

The scars from his crucial spot-kick miss deeply impacted the introverted kid from Crawley.

For all he achieved in the 20 years that followed, the pain of that moment meant Southgate was reluctant to put himself in the national firing line again.

It is for that reason that the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Roy Hodgson after the humiliating Euro 2016 last-16 exit to Iceland ruled himself out of the running for a job eventually taken by Sam Allardyce.

It was a decision that Southgate swiftly regretted but, due to a remarkable turn of events, was quickly rectifiable.

‘Big Sam’ made an unexpected exit from the post after 67 days and just one match at the helm, leading to the England Under-21s boss to be parachuted in as temporary manager.

The 57-cap former defender grasped the nettle and a promising four-game interim stint earned a permanent deal – a whirlwind few months that helped redefine English football.

Southgate, resplendent in his waistcoat, led England on an unforgettable run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, reconnecting the national team with the country. 

It was around this time that fans began singing their own take of Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again with the words switched to ‘Southgate you’re the one’. 

Back-to-back Euros finals followed either side of a frustrating 2022 World Cup quarter-final exit to eventual runners-up France as England enjoyed unparalleled consistency on the biggest stages.

Southgate’s status saw him more prepared to tackle wider issues beyond the pitch, and in 2021 during the Covid pandemic he released his now famous ‘Dear England’ letter, which sought to define his own vision for Englishness. 

This would go on to inspire a popular play by the same name, which presented the manager as a visionary leader seeking to rebuild the national side’s confidence – and relationship with its fans – following decades of underachievement. 

Southgate was unafraid to speak out on other social issues, and took a strong stance in favour of ‘taking the knee’ against racial discrimination after the gesture was booed by England fans in Euro 2020 warm-up friendlies at the Riverside Stadium. 

‘It’s what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time,’ he said after it was confirmed England would continue to take the knee at the 2022 World Cup.

Southgate’s time at the top saw its first scandal in 2020, when he was forced to send home Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood following a ‘very serious’ violation of strict coronavirus protocols.

The pair had made their senior debuts during a Nations League game against Iceland but Southgate took no prisoners.

‘It was brought to my attention that two boys have broken Covid guidelines in terms of our secure bubble so we had to decide very quickly that they couldn’t have any interaction with the team,’ he said.

Another low was the racial abuse against Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho after England’s Euro 2020 loss against Italy. 

The trio all missed in the shoot-out and were targeted by trolls on social media, fracturing a relationship that had been improving year on year under Southgate.

‘For some of them to be abused is unforgivable,’ Southgate said at the time. 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.’

A common criticism of Southgate’s sides is that they are cagey and overly defensive, claims that only grew during England’s slow start to Euro 2024.

After a disappointing goalless draw to Slovenia, the manager was pelted with paper beer cups by a section of fans. 

Three years on from the agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley, a second straight European Championship final ended in heartbreak as swashbuckling Spain triumphed 2-1 on Sunday.

Southgate may not have secured his place in immortality, but he leaves having restored the national team’s credibility and turned them into regular tournament contenders.

He fostered an impressive togetherness and team spirit, thanks in no small part to his willingness to back and stand alongside his players on societal issues such as racism.

England’s players loved him and the Football Association wanted him to extend his eight-year reign, but the likeable, eloquent coach has decided to step away.

He led by example off the field and to within touching distance of glory on it, but someone else will have to bring football home.