Former England boss Sir Gareth Southgate casts doubt on return to management
Sir Gareth Southgate has cast doubt on ever returning to management, revealing he has not even visited a football stadium in nearly 18 months.
Southgate spent eight years in charge of England before resigning after seeing his side beaten by Spain in the final of Euro 2024 and has not been back in the dugout since.
His only club role was a three-year stint at Middlesbrough between 2006-2009 and, although he has been linked with positions at home and abroad since stepping away from the international scene, he is not currently keen on the idea of returning to top-level coaching.
The 56-year-old, appearing as the first guest on the Amol Rajan Connection podcast, was asked if he would consider returning to the Premier League and said: “I don’t see a scenario where I do that.
“Towards the end of my time with England, I stopped enjoying (it). For a period, you know, the wins keep you going. By the end, I didn’t even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes.
“I’ve hardly watched football (since leaving). I went to the Champions League final, the year after I left England, 2025, and I went to the FA Cup final to see my team Palace win their first trophy, but not been to a football ground since.”
Expanding on the psychological benefits of leaving competitive sport behind him, Southgate explained: “I’ve had 37 years where my sense of self depended on, ‘did I win…did I win or lose on Saturday?’.
“I’m not interested in survival, you know, just being a manager because it’s a good salary. Survival, that doesn’t excite me. One of the beauties with England was we could win, we could create history, we could break new ground.
“I’ve given a lot of my life to football. I’ve given every ounce I had. And I just fancy a different period of my life.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub