Gareth Southgate says he knew he was leaving England job before end of Euro 2024

Gareth Southgate has plentifulness of fond memories to look backmost connected during his clip arsenic England manager, from the country’s first punishment shootout triumph astatine a World Cup, against Colombia astatine Russia 2018, to Ollie Watkins’ dramatic extra-time winner against the Netherlands this summer. But he is successful nary uncertainty astir the pinnacle of his eight-year reign, the infinitesimal erstwhile it felt for illustration his shot squad were almost single-handedly starring their state retired of its pandemic slump.

“Definitely beating Denmark successful the semi-final astatine Wembley,” Southgate tells Lauren Laverne successful his quality connected BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs connected Sunday. “I mean, some semi-finals that we won were melodramatic games – Holland successful the past Euros, Denmark successful the erstwhile 1 – but conscionable that emotion and that knowing that this was going to beryllium the first last for 55 years, and that we were creating different spot of history successful our travel arsenic a team.

“And conscionable to spot what it meant to people, what it meant to the country. Not only successful the stadium that nighttime but the days that followed, starring into the last and the travel to the stadium of the final, wherever we were conscionable coming retired of that Covid play but the streets were lined pinch group each the measurement from Watford, wherever we were staying, wherever I was born, correct the measurement to Wembley. An astonishing point to experience.”

That Euro 2020 semi-final was a tense affair. Harry Kane scored the winning extremity successful other clip aft pouncing connected the rebound of his ain missed penalty, spilled by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. It settled a nerve-shredding evening and England’s players ended the nighttime dancing connected the transportation to Sweet Caroline as fans sang along.

“Clearly clubs mean a batch to group … but the nationalist squad captures everybody, because it’s not conscionable the regular shot fan: it’s auntie, it’s granddad, it’s the full family coming together for nationalist moments. They’re a spot for illustration royal events, the large tournaments, the things that bring together viewing figures of 25 cardinal positive crossed each the different platforms we person now. But group do retrieve wherever they were erstwhile those games were played, and they do retrieve those iconic moments.”

Southgate besides re-lives his infamous missed punishment astatine Euro ‘96, again astatine Wembley, which saw England knocked retired by aged rivals Germany.

“I thought that we played good during the game, and that location were 2 really large chances towards the extremity of other clip that we didn’t rather link with. We’d won a punishment shootout the Saturday earlier successful the quarter-finals against Spain. And past I conscionable retrieve (captain) Brian Robson coming to maine successful the spread astatine the extremity of the crippled saying, you know, if the penalties goes to No 6, are you happy to return a penalty? And because I’d been a skipper each my life and had a consciousness of work [I said] yeah, nary problem. But I’d only taken 1 previously, and that was astatine [Crystal] Palace, and the keeper had saved it.

“I’d opportunity it was the only point that we hadn’t prepared to a really precocious level successful the coaching area. And yet I wasn’t capable to execute a accomplishment nether pressure. That’s what it boiled down to. People talk astir penalties being luck, but that’s not really I spot it. That’s not what I took from it erstwhile I was coaching my team. Subsequently, you’re past surviving pinch the fallout from being the feline that has yet missed the punishment that’s costs america a spot successful the final.”

There would beryllium an eerie parallel pinch his managerial profession a 4th of a period later, erstwhile Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka each missed penalties which sealed Italy’s triumph complete England successful the last astatine Wembley. Just days aft the giddy precocious of beating Denmark, the country’s euphoric bubble was burst not only by conclusion but by disfigured scenes of rioters storming the stadium, and past racist maltreatment of the 3 players blamed for defeat.

“My first thought was, I’ve sewage to protect them,” Southgate recalls. “Then, overnight, they suffered a batch of racism arsenic well. So the pursuing day, erstwhile I was speaking pinch the media, I was very clear that we’ve been connected this astonishing travel together arsenic a team, but it’s not acceptable that now we’re knocked out, each of a abrupt everybody fractures, and the federation fractures, and the nationalist mostly saw that that wasn’t an acceptable reaction.

“There was a batch much positivity past towards the boys, which is arsenic it should person been, but you’ve sewage to thief them. That’s what coaching is about.”

Gareth Southgate is connected BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs astatine 10am GMT, Sunday 22 December