Euro 2024: For how many years has Gareth Southgate been in charge of England? Which team did he lead before? Has he achieved any victories?

Gareth Southgate, the former England defender, is on the verge of claiming his first trophy as England manager after eight years in charge. The Three Lions will face Spain in the Euro 2024 final, and Southgate will be hoping to lead his team to victory.

Since taking over as manager in 2016, Southgate has guided England to the semi-final or better at three of the four major tournaments. This includes reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, a feat that hadn’t been achieved by an England manager since Bobby Robson in 1990.

Despite a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in extra time in the semi-final, England finished the tournament in fourth place after losing to Belgium in the third-place play-off. Southgate then led England to the final of the delayed Euros 2021, where they lost to Italy on penalties.

However, England’s journey in the 2022 World Cup was cut short after a quarter-final defeat to France. This led to doubts about Southgate’s future in the job, but the FA confirmed in December 2022 that he would continue as manager until after Euro 2024.

Before taking charge of the national team, Southgate started his managerial career at Middlesbrough in 2006. Despite not having the required coaching qualifications, he was given the job and announced that he would no longer continue as a player. Southgate later completed his coaching qualifications and had a 12th-place finish in his first season as Boro manager.

After being sacked in 2009 as Boro were relegated from the Premier League, Southgate took a break from football before returning to the coaching environment as the FA’s head of elite development in 2012. He was then appointed as England’s under-21 manager before stepping into the senior role in 2016.

Despite his tenure as England manager, Southgate has yet to win a trophy. However, he will have the opportunity to change that in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, where England will be aiming to win their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

As for Southgate’s future with the team, his current contract is set to expire in December. However, he has stated that he hasn’t yet thought about his future and that his focus has been solely on the Euros. He commented, “Emotionally, it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this tournament.”