BREAKING: Gareth Southgate leaves post as England manager

England Euro 2024 squad Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England, looks on during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between England and Switzerland at Düsseldorf Arena on July 06, 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Gareth Southgate has left his post as England manager.

The Three Lions boss has been in charge since 2016 but following a Euro 2024 final loss at the hands of Spain at the weekend, he has announced that he is leaving. 

“it’s time for change, and for a new chapter,” he said in a statement. “Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager. I look forward to watching and celebrating as the players go on to create more special memories and to connect and inspire the nation as we know they can.”

Gareth Southgate walks past the European Championship trophy after England's defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.

Gareth Southgate walks past the European Championship trophy after England's defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Southgate was appointed as interim manager of the men's England team eight years ago, following the dismissal of Sam Allardyce. He earned the job on a permanent basis after impressing and led the Three Lions to the 2018 World Cup.

There, Southgate and England bucked all expectations after a dismal Euro 2016, to finish fourth in Russia. A lot of the success of that tournament was reigniting the public's love with the England side after continual disappointments, and getting them engaged with the team once more.

Gareth Southgate reacts as he leads a training session of the England's football team at the St George's Park stadium in Burton-upon-Trent on May 30, 2022 as part of the team's preparation for the upcoming UEFA Nations League.

Gareth Southgate reacts as he leads a training session of the England's football team at the St George's Park stadium in Burton-upon-Trent on May 30, 2022 (Image credit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

From there, Southgate took England to three more tournaments, reaching the final of Euro 2020, getting to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the most recent European Championship in Germany. His record of two finals and a semi-final in three of the last four tournaments is unparalleled with any manager in England history.

The tide seemed to be turning on Southgate in the past few weeks, however, with England performing poorly in Germany. The Three Lions stumbled to the final with lacklustre displays as Southgate struggled to accommodate the likes of Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in the same lineup.

Southgate leaves England with a win percentage of 59.8.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.