![\"Sir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1750918394_392_0_Investitures-at-Windsor-Castle.jpg\")
Sir Gareth Southgate receives his knighthood(Image: PA)<\/p>\nGareth Southgate said that managing England for eight years was \u201can amazing privilege\u201d but admitted he was \u201cnot missing that either\u201d, having resigned from the role following the 2-1 Euros final defeat to Spain<\/p>\n
06:00, 26 Jun 2025Updated 06:04, 26 Jun 2025<\/p>\n
Sir Gareth Southgate receives his knighthood(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Sir Gareth Southgate has said the England team has \u201cbroken down so many barriers to winning\u201d as he received a knighthood for his services to football.<\/p>\n
The former manager, who led England 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.<\/p>\n
He is the fourth England boss to be knighted, after Sir Walter Winterbottom, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, and the only manager to lead the England men\u2019s team to two major tournament finals.<\/p>\n
Southgate said that managing his country for eight years was \u201can amazing privilege\u201d but admitted he was \u201cnot missing that either\u201d, having resigned from the role following England\u2019s 2-1 final defeat to Spain in July last year.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his spell in charge, he told the PA news agency: \u201cWe\u2019ve broken down so many barriers to winning. Ultimately we didn\u2019t quite get to where we wanted to, but we\u2019re in a great position now to take things forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Sir Gareth Southgate receives knighthood as ex-England boss joins three legends<\/a>READ MORE: Brighton owner Tony Bloom sends warning to Rangers and Celtic after \u00a39.9m move<\/a><\/p>\n Southgate was succeeded as England manager by Thomas Tuchel ahead of next year\u2019s World Cup, when it will be 60 years since the men\u2019s national side won their only major honour.<\/p>\n Asked how he assessed the squad\u2019s chances heading into the tournament, Southgate said: \u201cWhat I learned doing the job is it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a brilliant group of players and staff to work with, and I wouldn\u2019t be here without everything they contributed and helped me with, so I hope they can go the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Southgate, England ended their 55-year wait for a men\u2019s final at Euro 2020, delayed 12 months by Covid, before being agonisingly beaten on penalties by Italy at Wembley.<\/p>\n A late defeat to Spain three years later again saw the side just miss out on silverware. Southgate 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.<\/p>\n He was recognised for his services to association football in the New Year<\/a> Honours in December. Asked how it felt to be knighted, Southgate told PA he was \u201cmore emotional than I thought I might be\u201d and described it as an \u201camazing honour\u201d.<\/p>\n He also paid tribute to William, who is president of the FA, as an \u201camazing supporter\u201d of both England and his favourite club Aston Villa<\/a>, whom Southgate played for during his 16-year career.<\/p>\n Southgate added: \u201cHe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe kindly thanked me for what I\u2019d done.\u201d In an address at the University of London in March, Southgate spoke about how the belief and resilience gained throughout his career in football had \u201cpicked me up when I\u2019ve been down, grounded me in success and given me purpose amidst the noise of public life\u201d.<\/p>\n The former defender said he was \u201cenjoying exploring other areas\u201d since stepping down as England manager last year, including through work supporting young men and raising awareness of the importance of role models.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI\u2019m excited about the future. Obviously I\u2019ve had 37 years in football, so it\u2019s a long time and I\u2019ve enjoyed taking a step back and being involved in other things.\u201d<\/p>\n Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/a> \u00a343<\/p>\n \u00a335<\/p>\n Sky<\/p>\n![\"He](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_Investitures-at-Windsor-Castle.jpg\")
He accepted the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday(Image: PA)<\/p>\n![\"Content](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1745569994_974_0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\")
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