England's national team captain Gareth Southgate has had an eventful European Championship.
The 53-year-old has been ridiculed, laughed at, and criticized.
But after taking England to their second consecutive European Championship final, Southgate now looks set to become a national hero.
Criticism of Gareth Southgate during the European Championship has poured in from supporters, experts, and others around the world.
After the group stage, where England "only" took five points against Slovenia, England, and Denmark, the 53-year-old responded to the criticism for the first time, pointing out that some of it was unfair.
I've understood the narrative against me, and it's better that I hear it than it affecting the players. I haven't seen any other team get through and receive the same criticism, said Southgate at a press conference.
And even though England then advanced past both the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the criticism continued to come against the national team captain. Something that took a toll on him.
I can't deny that it hurts when it gets as personal as it has. I don't think it's normal for people to throw beer at you.
"We all want to be loved"
But now, after the semifinal win against the Netherlands, the tone is finally starting to brighten around Gareth Southgate, who has taken England to their second consecutive European Championship final.
In fact, the Englishman may even be knighted regardless of how the final goes, writes The Telegraph.
I mean... We all want to be loved, don't we? So when you do something for your country, as a proud Englishman, and don't feel loved and all you read is criticism, it's tough. Getting to celebrate a second final is very, very special, says Southgate after the semifinal win.
Could become a national holiday
England's men's national team has not won a championship (World Championship) since 1966. In the previous European Championship final, the country came close, but lost on penalties to Italy.
If England were to win the European Championship final on Sunday, Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer may introduce an annual national holiday to commemorate the occasion.
I was at the previous European Championship final. I don't want to go through that again, so I don't want to jinx anything. But we should definitely commemorate the event in some way, but the most important thing is that we finish the job on Sunday, says Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a NATO meeting in Washington, according to BBC.
The final is played on Sunday at 21.00.
Age: 53 years
Born: Watford, Hertfordshire
Achievements as a player: Two league cup wins (with Aston Villa 1996 and Middlesbrough 2004), FA Cup final and UEFA Cup final
Number of international appearances: 57 (2 goals)
Coaching assignments: Middlesbrough (2006-2009), England's U21 national team (2013-2016), England's men's national team (2016-)
