Gareth Southgate is now the longest-serving England manager since Bobby Robson tenure in the 1980s and comfortably the second-most successful behind only Sir Alf Ramsey – the man who won England their one and only World Cup.
That said, it hasn't been an easy ride for the former Middlesbrough star as he has faced detractors around every corner for much of his term, despite leading the country to its first final in 55 years in 2021.
Football FanCast has gathered everything you need to know about one of England's most successful football managers.
Gareth Southgate age
Born 3rd September 1970, Southgate is 53 years of age. The man who managed to make waistcoats cool for a summer five years ago was born in Watford, Hertfordshire.
The former defender left school with eight O-levels graded between A and C before studying at Croydon College.
Despite being released by Southampton at just 13 years old, Southgate finally made his senior debut for Crystal Palace in the 1990/91 season before playing a further 30 games the following year.
Gareth Southgate appointed England manager
Southgate was handed the reins over seven years ago on 27th September 2016.
Despite his relative success in the role, reaching both a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final, Southgate was never supposed to get the job when he did and only found himself in his position following the unceremonious – and very public – sacking of Sam Allardyce.
Big Sam was announced as England's latest manager on 22nd July 2016, singing a two-year deal, but instead of 730 days, he lasted just 67. He left his post by 'mutual consent' after being filmed by undercover journalists seemingly admitting to knowing how to skirt FIFA's strict rules on third-party ownership.
With the FA embarrassed and no immediate successor to take over, they looked inwards and promoted Southgate, who at the time was in charge of the country's Under-21 side, and the rest is history.
Gareth Southgate's England record
Southgate has won 59 of his 91 games as England manager, with 17 draws and 15 defeats, while England have scored 212 goals and conceded 73 during that time.
He's approaching 60 wins, which puts him in great company, as only two previous managers have reached as many wins as Three Lions boss. Those two are World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey (69) and England’s longest-serving manager, Sir Walter Winterbottom (77).
59
17
15
212
73
66.3%
Gareth Southgate's England salary
While his style of play might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to argue that Southgate hasn't been effective in his time as England boss, time for which he has been handsomely compensated.
Just before he was given the job permanently in late 2016, The Telegraph reported that his two-year contract would be worth a tidy £1.5m a year. Since then, his pay has only gone up, with his most recent contract said to be worth an eye-watering £5m a year.
We can only imagine what the FA might offer him if he manages to go one better at the European Championship in Germany next summer.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes Gareth Southgate's net worth
Reports of Gareth Southgate's net worth differ from site to site.
According to 2020 figures (via 888 Sport), Gareth Southgate's net worth is in the region of £9m.
The England manager has been involved in football for around 30 years with pretty much all of his living made from the sport. But, as you can tell from these predicted figures, he doesn't earn anywhere near as much as some of the top-paid players in the world.
Celebrity info site Taddlr values his net worth slightly higher at £12m.
Gareth Southgate's wife
Southgate's wife is called Alison. Interestingly, they met when the England boss was a trainee at Crystal Palace.
The pair have been a couple for 20 years and were married in July 1997.
Some of the stories that surfaced in the manager's book were rather eye-opening as it was revealed that he and Alison would meet in a Tesco car park to keep their romance secret from her ex. When he was transferred to Aston Villa, she gave him an ultimatum: either she moved to Birmingham with him or the relationship must end.
Gareth Southgate's clubs
While he might be better known to the general public and younger football fans today for his managerial career, Southgate had a long and reasonably successful playing career that lasted over two decades.
As mentioned earlier, the 53-year-old started his professional career playing for Crystal Palace, signing for the side in 1988 before making his debut two years later in a League Cup game against Southend United – a game the Eagles won 8-0.
It took just three years and 100 appearances for the club for Southgate to be handed the captaincy – at just 23 years old – which, looking back, was probably a surefire sign that he would always be a brilliant leader of men both on the pitch and off it.
Aston Villa had taken notice of the full-back's performances in south London and signed the then-24-year-old for £2.5m. In his first season in Birmingham, Southgate won his first major trophy, beating Leeds United in the League Cup final.
Following his six-year spell with the Claret and Blue, Southgate would make one final move after Steve McClaren made a £6.5m offer to bring him to Middlesbrough. He captained Boro to League Cup glory in 2004, while his last game as a player was in the UEFA Cup Final against Sevilla in 2006, which he unfortunately lost 4-0.
Alongside his club career, Southgate was also a regular in the England team between 1995 and 2004. Terry Venables gave him his debut when he came off the bench against Portugal.
In total, the England boss won 57 caps for the Three Lions and scored two goals. That said, as reliable as he was for the national team, he might never be able to escape a certain penalty miss against Germany…
Gareth Southgate's missed penalty for England
England and penalty shootout misery, is there a more natural pairing in football? The semi-final against Germany in Euro 96 certainly didn't help to disprove the trend, anyway.
What made this defeat so much worse was that it was a home championship and England had taken the lead in the third minute thanks to an Alan Shearer goal, only for the Germans to equalise 13 minutes later.
With the score still 1-1 after 120 minutes, penalties were required to determine which team would be going through to the final. Both sides scored their initial five penalties meaning that it was sudden death, and with the weight of the nation on his shoulders, Southgate saw his attempt saved, and when Andreas Moller smashed his past David Seaman, it was all over.
In a mark of his mental fortitude, Southgate starred in a Pizza Hut advert later that year alongside Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle (who both missed penalties at the 1990 World Cup), making light of his very public blunder.
Next England manager after Southgate
It might feel to some like Southgate will never leave his post as Three Lions boss, but recent rumours and speculation have led some to assume he will simply saunter off into the sunset following next summer's European Championship in Germany. By that point, he would've been in charge for the best part of eight years, so who could blame him?
For all the differing opinions on his tenure as England boss, it is impossible to deny that he has overseen the best results the country has had in generations, so whoever comes in next will have a tough act to follow. However, if the rumours are true, his potential replacement should be just fine.
According to reports, the FA's 'dream' appointment in a post-Southgate world is none other than Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Now, it may seem like a pipe dream and eerily reminiscent of reports all those years ago linking José Mourinho to the job.
That said, with the Spaniard's contract set to expire in 2025, the Three Lions job could be a tempting prospect and a fresh challenge for a man who has won everything there is to win at club level.
Additionally, Guardiola's vocal support of Catalan independence essentially makes it impossible for him to take charge of the Spanish national team. So, were he interested in taking on a national team, England could scratch that itch.
Teams Gareth Southgate has coached
Gareth Southgate started out his managerial career at Middlesbrough, where he landed the role back in June 2006. During his time at the Riverside Stadium, he was in charge of a whopping 151 games, which took him up until October 2009. But he was only able to lead Boro to a points-per-match average of just 1.21.
From here, Southgate stepped up onto the international stage, managing the England academy from January 2011 until June 2012.
After this, he took a period of around just over a year out of the managerial game before landing the England Under-21 job in August 2013. This is really where his managerial career took off, as he drew plenty of attention for his impressive leadership and management qualities, as the Under-21 side set things alight with a points average of 2.55 per game and winning the Toulon tournament in 2016.
Of course, this then led to him landing the England national team job just one day after leaving his position as the Under-21s manager in September 2016. And, you would have to say us fans have enjoyed a pretty good time of it in recent times.
Team Gareth Southgate supports
Southgate's book may give us a slight clue as to who he may support, as when Manchester United lost the FA Cup final against Southampton in 1976, he had this to say:
“I supported Manchester United, and experienced the excitement of following my team from one season to the next. I also had a taste of heartbreak when they lost to Southampton in the FA Cup final one year, and ended up bawling my eyes out.”
It’s unclear if he still supports the Red Devils, but one thing we do know is that the 53-year-old idolised Bryan Robson as a kid and wanted to follow in his footsteps.
