With a heartrending final post, Gareth Southgate has announced that he’s stepping down as England manager after eight years, four major tournaments and a pitch-side wardrobe that has captured the nation’s imaginations as much as his mission to bring a fractured England team back together and reconnect it with its fans. From the image of Southgate pumping his fist in jubilation in his signature waistcoat as England made it through to World Cup semi finals (arguably the menswear look of 2018) to the sight of him comforting his young team after they lost out on penalties in the Euros 2020 finals, he’s become a source of comfort, level-headedness and a very particular, buttoned-up vulnerability that we rarely see in British men over the age of 40.
As he confirmed his resignation today, Southgate said, ‘as a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.
'But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.’
‘I have given it my all’ is particularly heartrending because you know it’s true – he’s thrown everything into a job he loves, and his decision to step down before his contract ends in December, without the silverware he – and the country – have been chasing for so long is a tacit acknowledgement that he agrees with the growing number of pundits who have said he’s no longer the right man to lead the team to victory.
Simply seeing a man in a position of power willingly give up a role he’d held dear for so long feels nothing short of revolutionary in a world where our former Prime Minister had to be virtually marched out of office after a string of scandals, and the current President of the United States is insisting on running for a second term in the face of growing questions over his cognitive ability.
Maybe that’s part of Southgate’s enduring appeal – he’s been England manager throughout a period of unprecedented political turmoil, where we’ve been collectively longing for a grown up in the room. When our politicians fell short, we could always rely on Southgate to be measured, thoughtful and kind.
And let’s not forget, we’ve seen Southgate at his most vulnerable. Anyone over the age of 35 will remember the Euros 1996 semi-finals, where as a young player, Southgate missed the penalty that knocked England out of the tournament. That moment has become embedded in our national psyche, and watching Southgate transform the England team in a way that put mutual support, kindness and honour at the centre of their ethos felt like the redemption story we all needed. We all knew how much he wanted the team to win – and that made us want it even more.