Gareth Southgate tipped for new honour as his future remains in the balance following Euro's heartbreak
15 July 2024, 09:41
Gareth Southgate is expected to receive an honour despite England's heartbreaking defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
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Southgate, 53, who has already got an OBE, has remained tight lipped about his future following the Three Lions 2-1 defeat in Berlin.
The defeat was England's second Euro's final in three years under Southgate.
It has been speculated that Southgate could become the third England manager to be knighted and the first since Bobby Robson.
Frank Luntz, an American pollster who spent nearly 30 years advising the Republican Party, said if he were prime minister he would appoint Southgate to the House of Lords so that he could become the sport and culture secretary right away.
“Gareth Southgate is an exceptional communicator,” Luntz told The Times. “He knows how to navigate the complexities of the UK’s social divisions without blowing himself up better than any coach I’ve seen on either side of the Atlantic.
“In our polarised world, where people are even seeking to politicise sport, he is a uniquely qualified unifier.”
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Southgate played 57 times for England scoring twice. He played in four tournament campaigns including Euro 96 when he missed a penalty against Germany.
His playing career ended in 2006 at Middlesbrough and he switched almost immediately to be a manager, replacing Steve McClaren who had left the Riverside Stadium to follow Sven-Göran Eriksson as England manager.
Southgate managed Middlesborough for three years before a four-year break from football. in 2013 he began managing the England under 21s before.
Southgate may decide to return to club management. His predecessors as England boss Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and Eriksson all took Premier League jobs after leaving the national side.
Having managed England, a job that 50 million people often believe they can do better, Southgate said last year that “there isn’t a job in world football that would intimidate or daunt you, having lived this one”.
