Gareth Southgate knew he was leaving England job before Euro 2024 final loss to Spain - 'Time for change'
Published 22/12/2024 at 18:47 GMT
Gareth Southgate said that his decision to leave the England job was already made before the side's 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in the summer. Southgate stepped down two days after the loss in Berlin, his second European final loss with the national side. He said "I knew I was going to be leaving," and that "it was time for change on all sides".
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Gareth Southgate has revealed that he made the decision to step down as England manager before the Euro 2024 final in July, in which England lost to Spain.
Immediately following the 2-1 loss in Berlin, he said he would "speak to the right people" about his future, and the 54-year-old resigned two days later.
Speaking on BBC's Desert Island Discs, Southgate admitted that he knew he was leaving at the end of the tournament, saying: "it was time for change on all sides".
He chose Adele's Someone Like You as one of his eight songs on the long-running show, explaining that he had the track on repeat during the tournament in Germany because "I knew I was going to be leaving".
"There were so many of the words in it that, even if I hear it today, it relates to my relationship with England," Southgate said about the Adele hit.
From Adele's 2011 album 21, the song is written from the point of view of a woman talking to her ex-partner.
"They've got to move on, and you wish them the best and there are regrets, but there were actually memories that were made," Southgate added.
After leading England to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final during his eight-year tenure, he suggested that his next job could be away from football.
"When you're a coach and you've had one of the biggest jobs, how do you follow that up?" asked Southgate.
After being linked to the vacant Manchester United job before Ruben Amorim's arrival, he said that he was "contemplating a change of direction."
Southgate began supporting United when he was young despite being born in Watford, and noted that former Red Devils players Bryan Robson and Steve Coppell were his football heroes.
"We moved to Lancashire when I was very young – Bury, which is where I started supporting Manchester United because they were fairly local," Southgate said.
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Another track he chose was Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, featuring Stormzy.
He called the pair "amazing" British artists, adding: "To see young people like these two able to be worldwide superstars is brilliant to watch".
Sheeran performed for the squad during the past two Euros. Southgate said that Covid restrictions at the 2021 tournament meant that Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell had to watch the performance from their hotel rooms after being ordered to isolate.
After leaving the England post, Southgate was succeeded by Thomas Tuchel, who will begin his duties on January 1.
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