Gareth Southgate · Biography

Gareth Southgate was born on 3 September 1970 in Watford, Hertfordshire. He came through the youth set-up at Southampton, who released him at 13, and completed his development at Crystal Palace. There he began a career as a centre-back and midfielder that lasted almost two decades: more than 500 league games for three clubs and 57 caps for England. He went on to manage Middlesbrough, took charge of England’s under-21 side and was England manager from 2016 to 2024.

Early years at Crystal Palace

He made his first-team debut for Crystal Palace in October 1990, in a League Cup tie. He started out in midfield and gradually became a fixture in the south London side, eventually captaining the club. His best season at Selhurst Park was 1993-94, when Palace won the First Division and earned promotion to the Premier League. Between 1988 and 1995 he made 152 league appearances and scored 15 goals for the club, a goal return he never matched once he settled into defence.

Aston Villa and Middlesbrough

In 1995 he joined Aston Villa, where he spent six seasons and played 191 league games, scoring 7 goals. In his first campaign in Birmingham he won the 1996 League Cup, and in 2000 he played in the FA Cup final that Villa lost to Chelsea. In January 2000 he was named Premier League Player of the Month. In 2001 he moved to Middlesbrough, his last club as a player. With the Teesside club he won the 2004 League Cup, Middlesbrough’s first major trophy, and in 2006 he played in the UEFA Cup final, lost to Sevilla. He retired that year with 160 league games and 4 goals for Boro, and 503 league games and 26 goals across his career.

England international

Terry Venables handed him his England debut in December 1995, as a substitute in a friendly against Portugal. Six months later he played every minute of England’s campaign at Euro 96 on home soil. In the semi-final against Germany at Wembley his penalty was saved in the shoot-out and Germany went through to the final. He was also part of the squads for the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He scored twice for England, against Luxembourg on 14 October 1998 and against South Africa on 22 May 2003, and ended his international career in 2004 with 57 caps.

First steps in management

On 7 June 2006, having just retired, he was appointed Middlesbrough manager. He was named Premier League Manager of the Month in August 2008, but the team finished 19th in 2008-09 and were relegated to the Championship. The club sacked him in October 2009 with Boro fourth in the second tier. His record at the Riverside read 151 games, 45 wins, 43 draws and 63 defeats. In January 2011 he joined the Football Association as head of elite development, a post he left in July 2012. In August 2013 he took over the under-21s, with whom he won the 2016 Toulon Tournament.

England manager (2016-2024)

In September 2016, after Sam Allardyce resigned, he took charge of the senior side on an interim basis, and in November that year the FA gave him the job on a four-year contract. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia England beat Colombia on penalties and Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals, lost the semi-final to Croatia 2-1 after extra time and finished fourth after defeat to Belgium. They came third in the 2018-19 Nations League. At Euro 2020, played in 2021, England knocked out Germany (2-0), Ukraine (4-0) and Denmark (2-1) to reach the Wembley final, which they lost to Italy on penalties after a 1-1 draw. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar they went out to France in the quarter-finals (2-1). At Euro 2024 they beat Slovakia, Switzerland on penalties and the Netherlands 2-1, before losing the final to Spain 2-1.

Departure and honours

He resigned on 16 July 2024, two days after the final in Berlin, with a record of 102 games, 61 wins, 24 draws and 17 defeats in charge of England. He had been appointed OBE in 2019 and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award in 2018 and 2021. He received a knighthood in the 2025 New Year Honours and the PFA Merit Award the same year. After leaving the national team he was a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School, and in November 2025 he published the book “Dear England: Lessons on Leadership”.