Gareth Southgate

At 53 years old, Gareth Southgate has this physical status:

Club career

Southgate spent two-and-a-half years with Southampton before being released as a thirteen-year-old.

Southgate began his playing career at Crystal Palace, first at right-back and then in central midfield. He served as captain and coached the team through the 1993–94 First Division Championship. He left South London for £2.5 million after the club's relegation from the Premier League, and he played for 152 games in a row over four seasons.

His nickname at Palace was "nord," given to him because his precise way of speaking reminded one of Denis Norden's vocal coach.

He was converted into a center-back at Aston Villa and was embedded in a strong defense system. In his first season, he lifted the League Cup and Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup. Southgate appeared in every Premier League game between 1998 and 1999. He continued to play for Villa in the 1999–2000 season as Villa reached the FA Cup Final, but just before Euro 2000, he received a transfer request, saying that "if I am going to achieve in my career, it is time to move forward."

Southgate paid for Middlesbrough's £6.5 million fine on July 11, 2001. He began working on a four-year contract and was Steve McClaren's first signing, although he wasn't aware of him as an England coach.

Southgate was appointed the new Middlesbrough captain in July 2002, after Paul Ince left for Wolverhampton Wanderers. When Boro defeated Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on February 29, 2004, he became the first Boro skipper in the nation's 128-year history to lift a trophy.

Southgate denied rumors that he was planning to move to Manchester United following Rio Ferdinand's suspension for missing a drug test in January 2004. He then moved to Middlesbrough, extending his playing years until 2007. Boro defeated Sevilla 4–0 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven in 2006, his last game as a professional player.

International career

Southgate made his England debut against Portugal in December 1995 as a replacement under Terry Venables' leadership. Southgate played every minute of their matches as hosts England reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1996, when they met Germany. The match was decided in a penalty shootout; Southgate's penalty was salvaged; England was eliminated when Andreas Möller scored the next German penalty; the game was decided in a penalty shootout; Southgate played down his mistake later this year by appearing in an advertisement for Pizza Hut, which also stars Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle, who had missed crucial penalties at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Southgate has also participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. In a 1–1 draw with Portugal at Villa Park in September 2002, his 50th cap was his 50th cap. He played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 Euro 2004 qualifying victory over Slovakia at his club grounds in the Riverside Stadium, fighting Middlesbrough's striker Szilárd Németh.

Southgate scored twice and was capped 57 times for England. His first goal came against Luxembourg in a Euro 2000 qualifier on October 14, 1998, his second on May 22nd against South Africa in a friendly. He is Aston Villa's Most Capable England player, having played 42 of his 57 internationals while with Villa.

Managerial career

Steve McClaren, the manager of Middlesbrough, left the club in June 2006 to replace Sven-Göran Eriksson as the England national team's manager. Although Martin O'Neill was initially the most likely candidate for the new role, Southgate was selected by chairman Steve Gibson to replace McClaren, committing to a five-year contract. Since he did not have the required coaching experience (the UEFA Pro Licence) to lead a top-flight team, he could only be hired for a short time as manager, but after receiving a special dispensation from the Premier League board in November 2006, he continued to serve as manager. Middlesbrough argued that because Southgate had just been a professional player, he had no opportunity to enroll in the coaching courses. Southgate then went on to complete his coaching certification.

Southgate was charged with rebuilding a team that had sold several players at the end of the previous season, including key names such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Doriva. Herold Goulon's first signing as a boss came on July 12th, when he received a loan from Lyon for an undisclosed amount. Julio Arca, Robert Huth of Chelsea, and Jason Euell from Charlton Athletic joined him on a season-long loan from Real Madrid, making the team's fourth defensive recruits. Southgate's managerial reign began on August 19, the first day of the Premier League season, after playing eleven games in their pre-season debut, where his side lost 3–2 at Reading. Despite a rough start, they redeemed themselves as hosting reigning champion Chelsea Chelsea at the Riverside Stadium, with the game ending in a 2–1 victory.

During Southgate's first season as coach, the team won some exciting victories but lost away from home to all three newly promoted teams. In addition, the team didn't win their first away victory of the season, a 3–1 win over Charlton Athletic, the team's first away triumph since April of the previous year. Bolton Wanderers defeated Bolton Wanderers 5–1. It was their highest-scoring victory of the season. Southgate's side finished in twelfth position in the Premier League this season. The club was also barred from the League Cup at the time, after losing 1–0 to Notts County in the first round. Every round they participated in in in the FA Cup had a replay. They were eventually disqualified by Manchester United in the sixth round of the tournament, losing by a 3–2 aggregate loss. Middlesbrough also appeared in more games than the previous season's champions Liverpool due to a replay.

Middlesbrough were extremely active during both transfer windows, with Jonathan Woodgate becoming the first signing during the summer; Woodgate had previously played for the club on loan during the previous league season. Afonso Alves arrived from Heerenveen for €20 million, the club's first sincere transfer record was broken.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger recommended Southgate as one of several English managers who were "all fit" to lead the national team in December 2007. Southgate had been chastised early in the season after his team suffered a spell in the relegation zone, but Middlesbrough managed to get out of the bottom three. Southgate will continue his campaign to guide his side to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League; the club's last game of the season saw them defeat Manchester City 8–1 at home, the club's first victory in the Premier League era, as well as Southgate's biggest margin of victory in management.

The team's pre-season build-up to the 2008-09 season was disappointing. The club's net investment was almost negligible after heavy spending during the previous season. In addition, club legend Mark Schwarzer left the club after eleven years, joining Fulham in the Premier League after his deal came to an end. In addition, key players, such as George Boateng and Lee Cattermole, have left the club, leaving Southgate with a rebuilding challenge to restore Middlesbrough's fortunes. Despite the bad weather during pre-season, Middlesbrough won two out of a potential three, earning Southgate's appointment as the Premier League Manager of the Month for August. Southgate was the second person to win both the Player and Manager of the Month awards after Stuart Pearce, and the first Middlesbrough manager to win the award since Terry Venables in January 2001.

Southgate defeated Middlesbrough in November 2008, the club's eighth previous playing team; however, Middlesbrough went 13 games without winning until beating Liverpool at home 2–0. Following a home loss to Stoke City, several of the travelers were calling for his expulsion, having only won a single game in eighteen games and recovering from relegation looking highly unlikely. Chairman Steve Gibson spoke out against the manager's future on March 24, saying that sacking Southgate "would not help the situation."

Middlesbrough's status as a Premier League club came to an end on the final day, with them needing a five-goal swing to the latter in goal difference. Middlesbrough defeated West Ham United away from home, a 2–1 loss that confirmed Middlesbrough's relegation to the Championship after 11 seasons in the top flight, as a 19th-place finish was announced. Southgate's relegation showed his determination to return to the Premier League right away, praising the supporters and showing his sadness for them in the process.

Middlesbrough's Championship campaign got off to a good start in the Premier League, putting them in a good spot for a return to the Premier League. Southgate was fired as manager on October 20, 2009, just two years after a 2–0 victory over Derby County and with the club in fourth place. His departure was tense, considering that he had taken Middlesbrough to within a point of contention, but chairman Gibson said he had made the call weeks earlier in the best interests of the club. Gordon Strachan was recalled by Gordon Strachan, who was unable to return the club to the Premier League after being unable to return to the club. Middlesbrough will be able to qualify for the Premier League in 2016 under Aitor Karanka's leadership.

Southgate returned to management after signing a three-year deal to replace Stuart Pearce as the England under-21 manager on August 22, 2013. Roy Hodgson, the team's senior manager, had been in charge of the team's 6–0 victory over Scotland in the interim period leading up to Southgate's appointment. The Young Lions defeated Moldova 1–0 in a UEFA European Championship qualification match, thanks to a goal by striker Saido Berahino in his first game as coach.

Southgate will continue to guide his team in the 2015 European Championship finals, but the team's good fortune will not continue as they finished last in a tight group, effectively ending their participation in the tournament. Jesse Lingard, the team's only victory during the tournament, won by a single goal in their 1–0 victory over Sweden, who will qualify for the competition's knockout phase.

Southgate said in June 2016 that he did not want to fill the England senior team position left vacant by Hodgson.

On September 27, 2016, Southgate was put in temporary charge of the senior England team after Sam Allardyce resigned after one game due to the 2016 English football scandal. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was in the early stages of qualifying for England. England lost 2–0 and conceding goals in the 89th and 96th minutes after winning his first game under new England manager Robert Southgate's leadership. On November 15, Southgate's tenure as caretaker boss came to an end, with him starting on a permanent basis two weeks later.

With a 1–0 home victory over Slovenia, the England team qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Although Southgate did not progress beyond the group stage of the tournament, the Football Association announced in December that it would continue as England manager, with their hopes being "realistic" and the tournament being "a very important staging stage for our growth.

England defeated Tunisia and Panama in the World Cup group's first ever World Cup penalty shoot-out victory and a spot in the quarter-finals, with Southgate's England side beating Colombia 4–3 on penalties. Southgate's England team defeated Sweden 2–0 in the quarter-finals on July 7, 2018, with Southgate becoming the first England manager to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup since Bobby Robson in 1990. Southgate gained a lot of praise from England followers as a result of their triumph. Fans of Southgate's iconic waistcoat, which he wore during England's matches, were dressed up in waistcoats in honor of the semi-finals with Croatia: Marks & Spencer reported a 35 percent increase in waistcoat sales, with the hashtag 'WaistcoatWednesday' trending on Twitter. Southgate tube station in Enfield, London, was renamed to "Gareth Southgate" for two days following the tournament's completion a week after. Southgate was also praised for the personal qualities demonstrated in the World Cup, including consoling Colombia's Mateus Uribe, whose missing penalty aided England to victory.

During extra time in the semi-finals on Sunday, Southgate's England team suffered a 2–1 loss to Croatia. With a free kick, Kieran Trippier started the scoring for England before the match was tied at extra time thanks to Ivan Perii's goal. In the second half of extra time, Mario Manduki scored the winner for Croatia. With England trailing, the match also saw England play the final ten minutes of extra time with ten men as Trippier sustained an injury after Southgate had already made his approved substitutions. England dropped fourth place after a 2–0 loss to Belgium in the third place play-off. Harry Kane, a striker and the England team's captain, also won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goal scorer.

Southgate led England to third place in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019. They did so after finishing at the top of a list that included Spain and Croatia. Their 3–2 victory over the Spanish was their first victory in Spain in 31 years. The Netherlands lost 3–1 to the Netherlands in the semi-finals, but Switzerland beat Switzerland 6–5 in a penalty shootout after the third-place match ended goalless. It was England's first third-place finish in a major international tournament since UEFA Euro 1968.

England finished at the top of Group D, which included Croatia, Scotland, and Czech Republic, beating Croatia 1–0 for the first time and winning against the Czech Republic 1–0 for the first time. England defeated Germany 2–0 at Wembley Stadium in the first knockout phase of the European Championships, their first knockout phase victory at the European Championships (as they defeated Spain on penalties in UEFA Euro 1996). This was also their first victory over Germany in a knockout match since the 1966 World Cup Finals. He England's team later defeated Ukraine 4–0 in the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the fifth time in the country's fourth time. England defeated Denmark 2–1 at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals and lifted the European Championships for the first time. It was only the second time that England had reached a major tournament final. England led 1–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium, with a point from defender Luke Shaw in the 67th minute, before Italy's Leonardo Bonucci levelled the game in the 67th minute. England lost the game 3–2 on penalties after the scores remained unchanged after extra time.

Following a 10–0 victory over San Marino, Southgate guided England to World Cup qualifying in November 2021. He signed a new deal a week later, ensuring he would remain England Manager until December 2024. Southgate led England into the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League in June 2022. In the tournament, England lost all of its first four games, which included a 4–0 loss to Hungary on June 14th 2022. This was the country's biggest home loss since 1928. Following a 1–0 loss to Italy, England was relegated to League B on September 23, 2022.

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