Gareth Southgate says England team have ‘broken down barriers to winning’

Gareth Southgate has said the England national team has “broken down so many barriers to winning” as he received a knighthood for his services to football.

The former manager, who led the Three Lions to consecutive European Championship finals in 2020 and 2024 and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, accepted the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

He is the fourth England boss to be knighted, after Sir Walter Winterbottom, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, and the only manager of the England men’s team to lead them to two major tournament finals.

Sir Gareth said that managing his country for eight years was “an amazing privilege” but admitted he was “not missing that either”, having resigned from the role following England’s 2-1 final defeat to Spain in July last year.

Reflecting on his spell in charge, he told the PA news agency: “We’ve broken down so many barriers to winning. Ultimately we didn’t quite get to where we wanted to, but we’re in a great position now to take things forward.”

Sir Gareth was knighted by the Prince of Wales, who is the president of the FA (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

Sir Gareth was succeeded as England manager by Thomas Tuchel ahead of next year’s World Cup, when it will be 60 years since the national side won its only major honour.

Asked how he assessed the squad’s chances heading into the tournament, Sir Gareth said: “What I learned doing the job is it’s important that people on the outside respect the space inside, so best that I stay out of the way and let them get on with it.

“They’re a brilliant group of players and staff to work with, and I wouldn’t be here without everything they contributed and helped me with, so I hope they can go the next step.”

Under Southgate, England ended its 55-year wait for a men’s final at Euro 2020, delayed 12 months by Covid, before being agonisingly beaten on penalties by Italy at Wembley.

A late defeat to Spain three years later again saw the side just miss out on silverware.

Sir Gareth took charge of 102 England matches in total to add to the 57 caps he won for the national team as a player between 1995 and 2004.

I'm excited about the future. Obviously I've had 37 years in football, so it's a long time and I've enjoyed taking a step back and being involved in other things

Sir Gareth Southgate

He was recognised for his services to association football in the New Year Honours in December.

Asked how it felt to be knighted, Sir Gareth told PA he was “more emotional than I thought I might be” and described it as an “amazing honour”.

He also paid tribute to William, who is president of the FA, as an “amazing supporter” of both England and his favourite club team Aston Villa, who Sir Gareth played for during his 16-year career.

Sir Gareth added: “He’s a genuine football fan, and he was deeply passionate about the team doing well and how he might help as president of the FA and was I getting the right support when I needed it. So it was an immense backing to have.

“He kindly thanked me for what I’d done.”

In an address at the University of London in March, Sir Gareth spoke about how the belief and resilience gained throughout his career in football had “picked me up when I’ve been down, grounded me in success, and given me purpose amidst the noise of public life”.

The former defender said he was “enjoying exploring other areas” since stepping down as England manager last year, including through work supporting young men and raising awareness of the importance of role models.

He added: “I’m excited about the future. Obviously I’ve had 37 years in football, so it’s a long time and I’ve enjoyed taking a step back and being involved in other things.”