In eight years as England manager, Gareth Southgate took the team to two major international finals, as well as a World Cup semi. And yet his legacy as one of the national team’s most successful leaders remains contested. Was he too meek? Did he squander a generational chance to bring silverware back to Wembley? And was he too fixated with draining the macho atmosphere that has long surrounded the Three Lions? These questions will continue to spark debate, but it is the latter cause that provides inspiration for Sir Gareth as he tackles his first television documentary, BBC One’s Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men.
Almost two years on from leaving his job as England manager, Southgate has a new mission: to improve outcomes for young men in society. “I’ve raised and highlighted a problem,” he says in this documentary, which picks up after his 2025 Dimbleby Lecture on the same subject. “What do you do next?” The plan is to travel around the country – from Teesside to Essex – to speak to struggling boys and the men trying to keep their lives on track. As England manager, Southgate was seen to galvanise a squad that had been dominated by infighting and egos, bringing his trademark middle England diffidence to a set-up famous for braggadocio and bluster. “I’ve had my fair share of tricky team talks,” he tells the crew as he heads into a secondary school classroom. “This could beat them all!”
