In July 2024, Gareth Southgate stepped down from his position as manager of the England national men''s soccer team. He left the role after eight years in charge-a period in which he guided England to a fourth-place finish at the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 and the quarterfinals at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, as well as two runners-up finishes at the European Championship (''the Euros'') in 2020 and 2024. When he commenced the job, Southgate, a self-proclaimed ''quiet leader,'' had embarked on what he described as a "cultural reset," designed to set realistic expectations around performance, and help players rediscover the joy of playing for the national team. Over the years, he had finessed his preferred approach to player selection, managing tournaments and games, improving penalty taking (traditionally one of the England team''s weaknesses), and dealing with the media. While he fell short of his objective to lead England to a major title, Southgate received much acclaim for his achievements. "He repaired a broken England team and made them a force again," stated a headline in The New York Times, while one in The Guardian read, "Gareth Southgate was England''s perfect ambassador." And Southgate had the record to back up those statements: he was the first manager to bring the England men''s team to a major tournament final since 1966, ending a drought that lasted more than fifty years. During his time in charge, England were the only team in Europe to reach at least the quarterfinals of the last four major tournaments. And even without a trophy, he was widely credited with restoring the team''s standing at home and abroad. "Ultimately, our goal was to win a trophy, and we did not achieve that," said Southgate. "There will always be a piece of me that hurts that we didn''t get over the line. But it has to be more nuanced than that-in sports, there are very small margins between victory and defeat, and I think we have to celebrate the things that we did well, too.