Gareth Southgate has resigned - Prince William thanks the ex-England-Coach
Gareth Southgate's "Three Lions" could not win the UEFA European Championship final against the Spaniards on Sunday. And just two days after the 1:2 defeat in Berlin, the much criticized English national team manager, Gareth Southgate (53), announced his resignation in an official statement, which was also disseminated via Instagram. The final match was his last as the English national team manager.
Nearly simultaneously, Prince William (42) also spoke out about Southgate's departure as England manager on Instagram. He also thanked the former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and FC Middlesbrough player, who wore the English jersey 57 times. Prince William is known as a huge football fan, is President of the English Football Association FA, and was naturally also in Berlin at the final in the Olympiastadion. "Gareth, I want to thank you," wrote the British heir to the throne, "not as FA President, but as an England fan. Thank you for building a team that was on par with the best in the world in 2024."
Moreover, he thanked Southgate for always showing "humility, empathy, and true leadership qualities" despite the immense pressure. He was a class act and could be incredibly proud of what he had achieved, wrote William in a joint photo of the two on his profile.
Gareth Southgate missed the legendary penalty shootout against Germany
Southgate took over the "Three Lions" in 2016 and led them to the World Cup semifinals in 2018 and the quarterfinals in Qatar. Both of his teams reached the final at the EURO 2021 and 2024. Despite the good tournament results, Southgate had been under heavy criticism in his own country for a long time. The accusation: With an extremely valuable and highly talented squad, the English national team played poorly and could never reach their potential performance level.
In Germany, Gareth Southgate is best known as a symbol of the supposed English weakness in penalty shootouts: In the EURO 1996 semi-finals, Southgate missed against the former DFB goalkeeper Andreas Kopke (62) and caused his team's elimination in their own country. A few days later, Germany won the title at the legendary Wembley Stadium - a title that has been denied to the English team to this day.
- Fans on Instagram expressed their support for Gareth Southgate following his resignation after England's loss in the UEFA European Championship final against Spain.
- The final match in Berlin marked the end of Gareth Southgate's tenure as the English national team manager, who had been in charge since 2016.
- Despite the criticisms, Gareth Southgate's impact on the English national team was undeniable, leading them to the World Cup semifinals in 2018 and the quarterfinals in Qatar, as well as the final in EURO 2021 and 2024.
- The tragedy of Germany's 1996 semi-finals against England is still fresh in the minds of football enthusiasts, with Gareth Southgate infamously missing a crucial penalty shot against Andreas Kopke, ultimately leading to England's elimination.
- The EURO 2024 final is set to take place in Germany, presenting yet another opportunity for England to redeem themselves from the past and claim the title that has eluded them since 1966.
