Still waiting for his next managerial role, Sir Gareth Southgate has been involved in football for almost four full decades. Southgate is, of course, best known for his eight-year stint in charge of the England national team, having returned the Three Lions to a position of contending for major honours.
Southgate took charge of over 100 England matches, reaching successive European Championship finals in the 2020s and making it to the semi-finals and quarter-finals in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.
Though Southgate ultimately left his post having failed to win any silverware, he had taken England closer than they’d been for years, the leading factor in his eventual knighthood. Southgate was no stranger to the international set-up at the time of his 2016 appointment, being raised from his post in charge of the England under-21s to replace Sam Allardyce after his reign came to an abrupt end.
Before entering his current ventures, Southgate enjoyed an 18-year career as a player. Southgate, who was comfortable as either a defender or midfielder in the course of his career, debuted for Crystal Palace in 1988, helping them win the First Division title in 1994 before joining Aston Villa the following year.
In the Midlands, Southgate won a League Cup in 1996, making an FA Cup final four years later and ultimately signing for Middlesbrough in 2001, after six years at Villa Park. Southgate, who swiftly became captain at Boro, won the second League Cup of his career in 2004 and in his final year of playing, guided Middlesbrough to the final of the Europa League, then known as the UEFA Cup.
Southgate moved straight into management after retiring in 2006, spending three further years at the Riverside Stadium before being dismissed. The now-54-year-old spent four years away from the game before linking up with the England under-21s in 2013, going on to be involved with the national team for over a decade.
A nine-year England international as a player, who spent most of his career in the top flight of English football, Southgate faced off against some incredible talents. Recently, in speaking to ESPN, the manager revealed which opponents he felt were the toughest he ever played against.
Southgate Praises ‘Incredible’ Players
Gareth Southgate playing for Aston Villa
Playing in European competition alongside the Premier League, Southgate consistently played against some of the best teams in the world, something that remains true in reference to his experience with England. Discussing the toughest opponents he faced, Southgate said:
“As a pair, Thierry Henry (and) Dennis Bergkamp were incredible. I also played against Brazil where they had Ronaldo (and) Romario, which was also a pretty good pair.”
Both Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp were crucial to Arsenal’s success in the relatively early stages of Arsene Wenger’s stint in charge of the Gunners. Bergkamp spent 11 years in North London, joining four years prior to Henry’s arrival in 1999. Both would become regarded as two of Arsenal’s best-ever players.
The duo won two Premier League titles together, one of which as part of Arsenal’s famed 2003/04 “Invincibles” season. They also won three FA Cups, whilst reaching the final of the 2005/06 Champions League in what marked Bergkamp’s final season as a player.
Henry, meanwhile, spent eight years with the Gunners, ending his time with the club as their all-time top scorer and securing his status as a legend in the red half of North London. Southgate, no doubt, is not the only defender to have struggled when facing the duo.
Internationally, Southgate named Brazilian pair Ronaldo and Romario as two more of his toughest-ever opponents. The attacking duo were part of a particularly star-studded Brazil team that, in 2002, won the fifth World Cup in their country’s history.
Both talents enjoyed brief but brilliant stints with Barcelona, having each represented PSV Eindhoven earlier in their careers. Ronaldo would go on and play for the likes of Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan whilst Romario, who departed Catalonia in 1995, spent much of his remaining career in his native Brazil.
It is hardly surprising that Southgate considered the pair, along with Henry and Bergkamp, as the hardest opponents he ever faced off against, given what all four men were capable of producing on a football pitch.