Gareth Southgate won't just be a national treasure if England win the World Cup - he'll reportedly be £4million richer.
The Three Lions boss was promised a bonus of £1.5m if his side triumphed against the odds in Russia four years ago, but now the FA are said to have nearly trebled that amount for this year's tournament. England will kick off their controversial campaign in Qatar by facing Iran in just over five weeks' time on Monday, November 21.
And if the Three Lions go all the way to the final on Sunday, December 18, Southgate will receive a whopping £4m, according to The Sun. The 52-year-old has already banked £500,000 as a result of England reaching the tournament, having breezed through qualification.
But what matters is how Southgate and co fare in Qatar, particularly off the back of six games without a win, including two humiliating defeats to Hungary. The ex- Middlesbrough manager already earns £6m per year thanks to his lucrative contract with the FA, which runs under 2024.
But while Southgate will be targeting taking charge of his country at the European Championships in Germany that year, this winter's World Cup is his priority. The Three Lions face Iran, the United States and Wales in Group B and are hoping to improve on 2018's semi-final run. But unlike back then with low expectations, the pressure is on to go the distance.
It'd been recently suggested that Southgate would quit his post after the World Cup, but he's since poured cold water on those claims. Speaking after being inducted into the football legends Hall of Fame, the former Three Lions international - who won 57 caps as a player - stated: "The England part of my journey as a player and manager has probably been the greatest highlight and the greatest honour for me.
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"I'm hoping this isn't the end of it… I'm hoping there's a few more years ahead. I still feel I've got a lot of improving to do and hopefully a lot of years ahead. But of course, there’s a lot in the next couple of months that we want to achieve as a start. Beyond that, I'm assuming life will continue and there are a lot of challenges ahead."
Southgate added: "I know ultimately I will be judged on what happens at the World Cup. Contracts are irrelevant in football because managers can have three, four, five-year contracts and you accept that if results are not good enough it is time to go your separate ways. Why would I be any different? I am not arrogant enough to think that my contract is going to protect me in any way."
