Gareth Southgate leaves England! What are his greatest achievements as England manager?

Gareth Southgate has confirmed he has stepped down as the manager of England after their painful Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.

According to Sky Sports, Southgate wrote: "As a proud Englishman, 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. But it's time for change, and for a new chapter."

Southgate's future as England manager was a major talking point before the 2024 European Championships, with speculation of him returning to club football.

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Now, after eight years and 102 games in charge of his country, England will need to find the man to replace one of the country's greatest-ever managers!

Here are Gareth Southgate's most notable achievements as England manager.

When Gareth Southgate arrived in the England first team setup in 2016, the country had come off an embarrassing defeat at Euro 2016 against Iceland, and Sam Allardyce had been sacked after one game.

Southgate made big calls by dropping Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart and took England through an unbeaten qualifying run for the 2018 World Cup (8 wins, 2 draws). The manager galvanized the nation and reached the World Cup semi-finals.

The BBC reports Southgate did what no England manager could do for 55 years, leading England to the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley. Unfortunately, England lost on penalties, with Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho missing from the spot.

The three players were subject to disgusting racial abuse, and one of Southgate's finest moments was standing up against the abuse and calling for police to react.

The penalty shootout is the most feared part for every England fan in major tournaments. When the pressure is on, England seems to fail. It happened in 2021 in the Euro's final, and Gareth Southgate missed at the 1996 Euro's.

At the World Cup 2018, Southgate's Lions made it through to the Round of 16 against Columbia, drawing 1-1 after extra time. England fans feared the inevitable, but Eric Dier fired home the winning penalty, ending the penalty woes for three years until 2021.

Before Gareth Southgate came into the England job, there was a famous stigma that the players from the big clubs didn't get on, and the media was always out to get the England players, but Southgate's father-like coaching has given the England camp a homely feel.

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According to Planet Sport, Southgate was awarded the Football Writers Association Tribute Award 2019 for helping reconnect the national team to their fans and the media after his first major tournament.

Southgate included five uncapped players in his 33-man squad for Euro 2024, with 19-year-old Adam Wharton, Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite, and James Trafford all being called up.

Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Bukayo Saka were all given teenage debuts by Gareth Southgate. They have developed into England's leading players for this campaign, becoming their team's most important assets.

Southgate has turned England from underachievers to a team seen as one of the best in the world, with some of the best young players on the continent.

At Euro 2024, Southgate led England to their first-ever overseas final at a major tournament and became the first England manager to reach two major tournament finals. Unfortunately, both ended in defeat, with Spain winning 2-1 in Germany.

After reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and two finals of a major tournament, Southgate has missed that one piece of silverware that could have made him immortal in English football.

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