Former England boss Sir Gareth Southgate was asked about his next move and admitted it would be hard to recreate the ‘higher calling’ he found managing the Three Lions
Sir Gareth Southgate has hinted he wants to move into politics in a chat where he said he wants to make “a difference”.
The ex-Three Lions boss gave politician-like answers when quizzed about his next move, saying he’s “not desperate” to manage in football again.
He said that “there is more that unites us [in the UK] than divides us” but that the focus in the culture was on division.
The 55-year-old said it would be hard to recreate the “higher calling” he found as England’s manager. But Sir Gareth said he wants to “find other areas where I think I might be able to make a difference”.
He said: “Economically lots of places are in tough situations now and that’s going to prompt desires for change. But I have seen the ability to unite the country. I saw during Covid people doing shopping for the neighbours.
“That’s when we as a nation are at our best, when we’ve been pushed into a corner and come out and shown resilience. There’s a negative narrative around our country at the moment and we’ve got to give young people hope, we’ve got to give them guidance.”
Responding on X, one fan said: “Southgate has much more to offer this country than being a football manager.”
Another replied: “Really sensible, measured interviews. Why hasn’t someone in Government tried to use him?”
Southgate recently spoke at the Aspire Academy Global Summit, which brings people from all walks of professional football together. He joined the likes of Rafael Benitez, Carli Lloyd, Wilfried Nancy and Alessandro Nesta.
The former England boss said: “The most important thing for developing football is developing coaches. We are all constantly learning. Bringing people together to share experiences and ideas helps us grow, especially as the game continues to evolve.”
Despite his success with England, he only has limited experience in club management. His only job in the field saw him take charge of Middlesbrough between mid-2006 to October 2009. But the squad were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2008/09 season.