“Whenever you name a team and whenever you pick a squad, that is when you have to make the most difficult calls. To tell a player, 'I'm not selecting you, and these are the reasons why...' it's tough.”

English former football manager and player

Sir Gareth Southgate is an English former professional football manager and player. He played as a defender and midfielder, and managed the England national team from 2016 to 2024. His public profile is tied to his long career in English football, first on the pitch and later in management. He is known above all for leading England through a major stretch of international competition, after a playing career in which he filled defensive and midfield roles.