International Career
Southgate made his debut for England as a substitute against Portugal in December 1995 under the management of Terry Venables, who months later selected him in the squad for Euro 96, at which England was the host nation, and Southgate played a significant role in the England side. However, his saved penalty against Germany in the semi-final sent the hosts crashing out. The song Southgate (Euro '96) by The Business is a reference to this famous sporting event. Southgate managed to make light of his blunder later that year by appearing in an advert for Pizza Hut which also featured Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle who had missed crucial penalties at the 1990 World Cup.
Southgate also played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He was capped a total of 57 times for England and was disappointed not to add to the figure during the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea. However, in the penultimate warm-up game ahead of the finals he captained England for the second half of a 1–1 draw with South Korea. His 50th cap came in a 1–1 draw with Portugal at Villa Park in September 2002.
Southgate scored twice for the England team. His first goal came on 14 October 1998 against Luxembourg in a Euro 2000 qualifier, his second on 22 May 2003 against South Africa in a friendly.
Read more about this topic: Gareth Southgate
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“A black boxer’s career is the perfect metaphor for the career of a black male. Every day is like being in the gym, sparring with impersonal opponents as one faces the rudeness and hostility that a black male must confront in the United States, where he is the object of both fear and fascination.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)