Gareth Southgate: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham lead tributes following England departure - ‘This will hurt for a while’
Updated 16/07/2024 at 21:29 GMT+1
Players past and present have paid tribute to Gareth Southgate, following the news that he has stepped down as England manager after the Euro 2024 final defeat. Two of his most trusted troops, Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford, have led the reaction, with the latter saying he was "completely gutted" at Southgate's decision to call time on his England career after eight years.
Southgate resigns - 53-year-old calls time on England managerial reign
Video credit: SNTV
Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford have led the tributes to Gareth Southgate following the former England manager’s resignation.
Southgate stepped down as boss of the national team on Tuesday in the wake of Sunday's defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, England’s second successive European Championship final loss.
Upon stepping down, Southgate said: “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.”
The 53-year-old was made England manager in 2016 following a three-year spell with the Under-21 team and led the nation to four major tournaments.
England reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup and lost in the final to Italy at the delayed Euro 2020.
In the years following, the team were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the 2022 World Cup by France in Qatar, and most recently were beaten in the Euro final against Spain.
Southgate is the only head coach in England history to lead the men’s team to two major international tournament finals, and despite coming up short on both occasions, is widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest managers.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/07/15/4003218-81240073-2560-1440.jpg)
Southgate: Lack of possession cost England, refuses to speculate on his future
Video credit: SNTV
Players past and present have been paying tribute to Southgate following the news of his departure, with midfielder Rice - who has been a stalwart since making his debut under the manager in 2019 - leading the messages.
“Thank you gaffer. It's been a privilege to play for England under your guidance,” the Arsenal midfielder wrote on social media. “Memories that will stay with me forever. All the best in your next adventure.”
Goalkeeper Pickford, another player who has been heavily relied upon during Southgate’s reign, said he was “completely gutted” by the news.
“This will hurt for a while,” the Everton stopper said. “Appreciate everyone who supported us during the tournament and I’d like to thank all my teammates and staff for their work throughout.
- ‘It is coming’ - Bellingham confident England’s tournament drought will end soon
- Ten Hag fumes after Man Utd lose pre-season opener - ‘Not the standard for top football’
- ‘Amazed’ if Kane did not play through injury at Euro 2024 - Neville
“I also want to say a special thank you to the boss for always believing in me during his time with us and I would like to wish him all the best in his next steps. Thank you Gareth.”
Harry Kane, England men's all-time leading goalscorer and current captain, posted on X that Southgate was "one of England's greatest ever managers".
The Bayern Munich striker wrote: "Boss. Thank you for everything you have done for me and our country!
"You have been one of England’s greatest ever managers and it has been a pleasure to have served as your captain throughout. You helped our nation connect and believe in our team again.
"There have been so many highlights and we’ve made memories together that will last forever! Good luck with your next chapter and I’m sure we’ll see each other around. Thanks Boss!"
Jude Bellingham wrote on Instagram that it "had been a rollercoaster of amazing emotions that has instilled hope and joy back into our country" playing under Southgate.
“It was a privilege being led by someone who is so dedicated and passionate,“ the midfielder said.
“Not only is Gareth easily one of the best coaches in the history of the national team but also an unbelievable human being.“
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/07/15/4003242-81240553-2560-1440.jpg)
'To lose in that way is really cruel' - Bellingham after England lost to Spain in Euro 2024 final
Video credit: SNTV
Harry Maguire, who missed the Euros through injury, said: “You made us all believe again - memories that will last forever. Thank you boss.“
Maguire's Manchester United teammate Kobbie Mainoo also commented: “Thank you for everything.“
Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman paid tribute to the outgoing men's manager too, after seeing her side qualify for Euro 2025 with a 0-0 draw in Sweden.
Wiegman told ITV: “To be honest, yes [I’m sad to see him go], because he’s such a nice person and a great coach.
"What he has done for English football is just really incredible. I think he can be very, very proud of himself. I think England is very proud of him and me as Dutch, I’m very proud of him too.”
The Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham credited Southgate for helping England stay in the top-five ranked teams in the world for six years, beating the previous record of seven months.
Bullingham said: “Gareth has made the impossible job possible and laid strong foundations for future success.
“He is held in the highest regard by the players, the backroom team, by everyone at The FA and across the world of football.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/07/15/4003453-81244768-2560-1440.jpg)
Euro 2024 champions Spain parade trophy through Madrid in front of huge crowd
Video credit: SNTV
“We are very proud of everything Gareth and Steve achieved for England, and will be forever grateful to them.“
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also took to X to share his gratitude for Southgate, who "will be remembered for bringing back the hope and belief the country had been crying out for for so long".
The Labour leader added: "The wins over Germany and Denmark at Wembley in 2021 were utterly joyous, coming just as crowds were allowed back in after the dark days of Covid.
"Gareth also brought a deeper understanding of what the job means and represents. During turbulent times, he has been a thoughtful spokesperson on events far beyond football.
"He has been a mentor to our brilliant young talent. And at every step of the way, he has shouldered the dreams of the country with dignity and honour."
Former England striker Gary Lineker said: “Wishing Gareth Southgate all the very best in the future. He brought pride, respect and a togetherness to England that we hadn’t seen for a long time.
“He was close, very close to footballing immortality and he always did the job with humility, decency and dignity. Thank you, Gareth.“
Fellow former England great Alan Shearer admitted his "surprise" at Southgate's decision but insisted that he "should be applauded for everything he has done" for the country.
“He has taken England from rock bottom after that Iceland result in 2016 to a semi-final and finals,“ Shearer said.
“We said during this Euros they might not have played as well as they could have, but the atmosphere he has created helped them through to another final.
“In the bigger picture, Gareth should be applauded for everything he has done with England. The expectation is now you have to get to finals and win trophies.“
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/07/16/image-0c60d9ab-390e-43ae-b84a-a8ee83386a4c.jpeg)
Gareth Southgate, England
Image credit: Getty Images
Southgate took over from Sam Allardyce in 2016 and his predecessor said "his legacy is successful, there's no doubt about that".
Gary Neville played alongside Southgate at Euro 1996, and thanked his former teammate via social media, crediting him for doing “a great job” during his tenure.
“He has had an amazing eight years and exceeded all expectations of every single England fan,“ Neville said on Sky Sports.
“He deserves to call it a day on his own terms, and he has done that. He knows England better than anybody. It was the right moment for him, he has done an outstanding job.
“He has achieved incredible things on the pitch, but he has also achieved incredible things off the pitch. How difficult it is to manage the politics of England, the media, the club-versus-country rivalries which existed, he has removed a lot of those barriers.
“He has handled penalties better than anybody, reduced the fear, so he has done an incredible job, but it will have taken a toll on him."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/07/15/4003316-81242033-2560-1440.jpg)
Beaten Euro 2024 finalists England leave Berlin hotel after losing final 2-1 to Spain
Video credit: SNTV
Another former Three Lions defender, Jamie Carragher, also had his say, predicting that Southgate’s successor will do well to match his achievements.
“It’s been a great ride for all involved over the last eight years,” he said. “Two finals, semi-final and a quarter-final in Gareth Southgate’s four tournaments is a very tough act to follow!”
Chris Sutton added: “Gareth Southgate is a class act and can leave his position as England manager with his head held high and with great pride with what he has achieved.“
It was not just those in football who paid tribute to Southgate. Cricket star Zak Crawley, who opens the batting for England, said it was "awesome to see how united the country has been" during Southgate's time.
"The pubs have been full, the atmosphere has been awesome around the country," Crawley enthused.
"I've loved it. When I was growing up we weren't really getting that far, so to see us get to a couple of finals and a semi is awesome, he's got to deserve a bit of credit for that."
---
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement