Gareth Southgate says it’s been an honor leading England

Despite still having six months left on his contract with the English FA, England manager Gareth Southgate has left the position after losing the UEFA European Championship final to Spain.

The Three Lions, despite several uninspiring displays and criticisms all tournament long, got to the final only to lose to Spain 2-1 on Sunday with Cole Palmer’s goal equalizer after Nico Williams’s opening goal was not enough to save England as Mikel Oyazarbal’s late winner denying England their first ever Euros.

It was the second consecutive European finals that England will play, a milestone not many England coaches can brag of; neither is the semifinal appearance at the World Cup in 2018.

These achievements put Southgate as one of the best ever England manager but he believes he’s given everything on the job but now is the time for a change.

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all. But it’s time for change and for a new chapter.” said Southgate.

Southgate became England’s manager in 2016 and the 53-year-old saw out 102 matches in eight years although it was without a silverware as England continues a trophy drought that has lasted over 50 years.

He won nine knockout matches in major tournaments, with two of them coming in penalty shootouts, although his team wasn’t successful Italy in the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley Stadium.

The English FA has started the process of hiring a new manager ahead of England’s next international fixture in the Nations League in September. However, they have not limited Southgate’s successor to English managers, as former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea managers Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino were linked to the vacant post early on.