Gareth Southgate has resigned as England manager following defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
The 53-year-old confirmed in a statement via the FA on Tuesday morning that the decider in Berlin, Germany was his final game in charge of the Three Lions after eight years at the helm.
“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England,” he said.
“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.”
Ranked – The five favourites to replace Southgate as England manager
Southgate said after Sunday’s game that he would take time before making a decision on his future with his contract expiring in December.
“I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that,” he told ITV. “I need to talk to the right people. It’s not for now.”
It took the former Aston Villa defender less than two days to come to a decision, stepping down after reaching the second final of his reign.
Gareth Southgate resigns as England manager
Southgate took over from Sam Allardyce on a temporary basis in 2016, before being made the permanent successor two months later.
He went on to guide the Three Lions to the first semi-finals of the Fifa Men’s World Cup, their first venture to the last four of a major tournament since Euro 96.
England went a step further in 2021 by reaching the final of the Euros, their first appearance in a final since winning the World Cup in 1996. They lost to Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium.
The side were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but managed to reach a second successive Euros final this summer.
Southgate is easily the most successful England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, but a trophy eluded the team during his time in charge.
The former head coach won 61 of his 102 matches in the dugout, boasting a win rate of just under 60 percent.
Read – Four key moments that decided the Euro 2024 final
Read More – Euro 2024 team of the tournament as Spain dominate
Tweets of the Week – England deep fakes and Darwin Nunez fights with fans
