Former England manager Gareth Southgate was named hero of the New Year's celebrations.
Southgate, 54, has led England to two successive European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, becoming the most successful manager of the national team since Sir Alfred Framsey.
Southgate is Ramsay; He is the fourth former England manager after Sir Walter Winter Botham and Sir Bobby Robson to win the award.
Sir Gareth Southgate 🏴
Our former manager and former player has been awarded a Knighthood in the King's New Year Honors List for 2025 for services to his football club 👏 pic.twitter.com/TsYcKYOusb
— England (@England) December 30 2024
The Football Association's chairman, Debbie Hewitt, hailed him as “one of the greatest managers we've ever had” and “represented the best in English football”.
She said Southgate had “inspired the players to share his pride in representing England” and it was “a privilege to know the man and the manager”.
England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties, while Spain were beaten 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final. Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will replace Southgate in the new year.
Most recently, West Ham boss David Moraes was made an OBE, while Liverpool's greatest and long-time former BBC reporter Alan Hansen became an MBE for services to football and broadcasting.
Dawn Astle, who founded the Jeff Astle Foundation to further research into head injuries in football on behalf of her father, who died of dementia in 2002, has been awarded an MBE.