Gareth Southgate said the England job is "not something you should give away lightly" after the manager signed a new contract.
After leading England to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, the Football Association (FA) rewarded Southgate with fresh terms through until after Qatar 2022.
Former Middlesbrough boss Southgate, 48, still had two years remaining on the deal signed following Sam Allardyce's departure in November 2016.
Discussing his extension, Southgate said: "You can have great relationships with your clubs and I did with mine - I had really special relationships with all three of my clubs – but emotionally the national team has always been the biggest thing for me.
"You know that with the national team it means more than anything else you are ever going to do.
"It's what I always wanted to do. As a kid, my one ambition was to play for England. And it just means that bit more because of the size of what you effect [as manager]. When I travel around the country now it wasn't only the winning of matches [in the World Cup] that affected people but the way the players were and the way the team represented them.
"I just think it's a brilliant honour and not something you should give away lightly. I think it's to be cherished. I feel as if there's still a chance to improve what we're doing. I think it's a huge challenge.
"Okay we've got to think differently about it, be bold in some of our decisions and we'll get some of those right and some we won't get right. But inherently care about the project in a way that maybe would be difficult to find in something else."
