Gareth Southgate transformed the culture and spirit of the England men’s team – his successor is lucky to inherit this legacy

After eight years and 102 games, Gareth Southgate has stepped down from his role as manager of the England men’s football team following their defeat in the final of Euro 2024. Under his leadership, England reached two European Championship finals (including the first major tournament final abroad by an England men’s team), and a World Cup semi-final.

These achievements are bettered by only one of his predecessors, Sir Alf Ramsey, under whom England won the 1966 World Cup. Yet despite this success, Southgate has faced constant criticism for his playing style, his late substitutions and, in this tournament in particular, for “lacking ideas”.

As football fans, we always focus on the end product – performances and results – and overlook the process that goes into creating an international team capable of consistently challenging for titles. Under Southgate, England have been transformed from an underperforming team of talented players to a team that is resilient and believes in itself. To understand his full impact, we need to reflect on the culture of the men’s team which Southgate inherited after Sam Allardyce’s short-lived time as manager in 2016.

The following year, interesting revelations about the culture of the senior England men’s side were made by three former players: Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. In a television interview, they suggested the competitive nature of the English Premier League, coupled with the proliferation of broadcasting money, had led to players subconsciously putting their club above country to retain their competitive advantage.

As Gerrard put it, players in the England camp had respect for each other rather than a friendly bond. Part of this can be attributed to the psychology of English football fans, 63% of whom wanted players to perform better for their club than the national team, according to a 2021 survey of fans.

One of the changes Southgate has been widely commended for is his player selection. In the same 2017 interview, Ferdinand commended the manager’s desire to integrate players from England youth teams into the national squad.

For example, Phil Foden, Marc Guéhi, Conor Gallagher and Jadon Sancho were all part of the England side that lifted the under-17 World Cup in 2017, while Anthony Gordan and Cole Palmer played in the winning England under-21 Euros team in 2023. Having come up through the England ranks together, these footballers had an existing camaraderie that made them likely to form better bonds in the senior team, despite spending most of the year with their different clubs.

Willingness to speak out

England are also more diverse than ever. While there were only four players of colour in England’s 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup, this increased to ten out of 26 for Euro 2020 and 11 out of 26 for Euro 2024.

This diversity has been inspiring for many, but has also led to increased levels of racism towards the squad. This was seen in the wake of missed penalties at the 2020 Euros final, when England lost the shoot-out to Italy.

Once again, Southgate’s handling of this, and other sides of his pastoral support for players, has been largely commended. His ability to stand up for his players and shield them from public criticism, and his willingness to speak out and say what’s right and wrong, has not only been commendable, it helped bring out the best in his players.

When Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Sancho all experienced that racist fallout after the 2020 Euros, Southgate publicly condemned the attacks. He pointed out the team was representative and a celebration of multicultural British society. He also adapted his approach to tournaments in response, including instituting a buddy system for this year’s Euros. This tactic saw penalty-takers paired with a player who would walk back with them, so if they missed they wouldn’t have to do so alone.

As has been pointed out by the new Culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, Southgate’s impact as England manager has been as important off the pitch as on it, with his team comprising “incredible young footballers, drawn from every community across the country, who look and sound and feel like modern Britain”.

The importance of role models is widely discussed in academic literature. Southgate has ensured that when kids turn on their TV sets to watch England, they see an inclusive vision of the strength of diversity in wider British society through his squad.

Now the Southgate era is over, his successor (whom I desperately want to be Eddie Howe, the current manager of Newcastle United) has big boots to fill – not only in terms of performances on the pitch. The new England manager must ensure the cultural successes achieved by Southgate do not fade into the past, while building a squad that continues to value the mindset of its players as much as their talent.

If this happens, football will hopefully come home soon (maybe even in 2026). If it does, we will have Southgate to thank for instilling the team’s all-important culture change.