Gareth Southgate has revealed that he has decided to step down as England manager before the end of Euro 2024. Southgate said immediately after England’s 2-1 final loss to Spain in July that he would “talk to the right people” about his future.
The 54-year-old finally resigned two days after the Berlin final but, appearing as a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Disc, said he knew it was time to move on. Southgate chose the Adele hit Someone Like You as one of the eight songs he would take with him if he were dropped on a desert island, explaining that he had put the track on repeat during the tournament in Germany because “I knew I would leave”.
The song, which appeared on Adele’s 2011 album 21, is written from the perspective of a woman addressing her ex-partner. He said: “There were so many words in it that even today I hear them relate to relationships. England. They have to move on and you wish them well and have regrets, but actually some memories were made.”
Southgate – who led England to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final during his eight-year stay between 2016 and 2024 – hinted again that his next job could be away from football.
He said in November that he was not limiting his future options to football management and was “thinking about a change of direction”. “When you’re a coach and you’ve got one of your biggest jobs, how do you follow through on it?” Southgate told presenter Lorraine Laverne during the Desert Island Disc episode aired on Sunday.
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As well as his chosen eight tracks, Southgate was allowed to pick a book and a luxury item to take to a desert island. He selects a coffee machine as his luxury item, saying he has recently become a “coffee snob”, his book of choice being The Chimp Paradox by psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters.
