How future England interim boss Lee Carsley ‘was nearly signed by Real Madrid in a case of mistaken identity’

GARETH SOUTHGATE deserved to win a trophy as England manager, write Shaun Custis.

Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you deserve in life.

No man could have worked harder to give the country the silverware it craved and no man cared more about our national team.

As a player he went through agonies after missing that fateful penalty against Germany at Euro 96 — and victory as a manager in the Euro 2024 final against Spain on Sunday would have been a wonderful redemption.

Southgate himself said he didn’t believe in fairytales — and there was to be no happy ending as ultimately England came up short again when it mattered.

But his legacy should be one of great achievement, not of failure.

This is an England boss who transformed our feelings towards the Three Lions.

Hardened fans, who claimed they only cared about their club, fell back in love with England during Gareth’s eight years in charge.

As The Sun’s chief football writer, I followed England through the Sven Göran Eriksson era, on to Steve McClaren, then Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson.

None of them could hold a candle to Southgate.

Southgate took it on reluctantly and, when the FA then wanted to make his position permanent, he made it clear he had to have free rein to do the job on his terms.

This was to be a new England with no club cliques, no wars with the media and an openness and honesty from coaches and players.

He never believed it was the impossible job as many claimed before him.

Yes, the Euros was a let-down and England were probably lucky to make the final.

But Southgate, by some distance, turned his England team into the most successful since Sir Alf Ramsey’s World Cup winners of 1966.

He gave us plenty of entertainment and fun along the way and a reason to feel proud.

We were even starting to crack it at penalty shoot-outs.

Most importantly, Southgate was a thoroughly decent human being throughout it all, treating everyone with respect — whether you were a player, a fan or part of the media.

Read Sun Head of Sport Shaun Custis' full opinion on Gareth Southgate's England exit...

BE honest. How many of you had heard of Luis de la Fuente before his glorious Euros?

Don’t feel bad. Even Declan Rice admitted ahead of Sunday’s heartbreaking final that he was unaware of the smooth-headed 63-year-old a month or so ago.

We all certainly know who De La Fuente is now after he masterminded La Roja’s perfect Euros campaign which ended with a deserved victory over England.

That showpiece triumph in Berlin made it seven wins out of seven in the competition for his scintillating side.

It rendered De La Fuente the first boss ever to win the Under-19 Euros, Under-21 Euros, the Nations League and the European Championship.

And in so doing, it strengthened the case for another bold, bald tactician to take over as England boss now Gareth Southgate has stepped down.

Lee Carsley has trodden a similar path as De La Fuente, successfully coaching his way up his national team’s youth ranks, culminating in last summer’s Under-21 Euro success.

No doubt there would be questions about his suitability given his experience of coaching senior players is limited to brief caretaker spells at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham.

For sure, he would not bring the same star quality as a Frank Lampard. Most fans will just about remember Carsley as that ratter of a midfielder who played alongside Thomas Gravesen for Everton in the noughties.

While there is also the thorny issue, at least for some, of the Brummie’s 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland, who ironically would be his first opponents if appointed.

But park all that for a second, focus on his qualities and the argument to give him the big job can be a convincing one. 

First off, his team does not play like he used to. 

‘Carsball’ is far sexier and heavily influenced by its creator watching Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing Barcelona train a decade ago, alongside 60 members of the public.

That study trip to Catalonia changed his philosophy to be far more front-footed and it paved the way to some fabulous fare during last summer’s triumph in Georgia.

Four of the five tournament goals boasting the most passes in the build-up belonged to his Young Lions. 

Fans bemoaning Southgate’s pragmatic style would be salivating if they watched back the build-up to Emile Smith Rowe’s strike against Israel in the group stage, or Cole Palmer’s in the semi against the same opposition.

Carsley is a tactical innovator too.

He was robbed of a centre-forward pretty much on the eve of the tournament last summer, thanks to Rhian Brewster’s injury and Flo Balogun switching to the USA.

His response was to play Gordon through the middle. The Newcastle starlet won player of the tournament.

Manchester United supporters likely remember Angel Gomes as a lightweight winger but Carsley played him as a shield in front of the back four to great effect.

Gordon used the Under-21 Euros experience as his launchpad to make the senior squad this summer. 

But talking about Carsley 12 months ago, the Toon forward said: “He is the best man-manager I’ve had so far. 

“I feel like I can speak to him about anything on and off the pitch.

“On the pitch, the way we’re playing football is a credit to him because we play the way he tells us to. 

“This might be the best footballing team I’ve played in, in terms of how we play and the combination play we play around the box, it’s really at an elite level. That’s down to Lee.”

Those powers of motivation could be crucial to unleashing Jude Bellingham, who, like Solihull-born Carsley, is from the outskirts of Birmingham, specifically Stourbridge.

Like Southgate, Carsley believes in the merits of giving them a comfortable environment to work in, particularly during tournaments.

The 50-year-old is relatively quiet on the touchline, often seen on his haunches making notes in his dugout with his assistant Ashley Cole the more vocal.

England’s greatest left-back Cole has learned a lot from Carsley despite having the far superior playing career. 

In the aftermath of the Under-21s success, which was won without conceding a goal, Cole reflected on the different attitudes players have to international duty now and in his day.

The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea defender, 43, said: “We didn’t always want to go and the club manager would pull you out.

“But I feel they truly, truly love coming here now. I think that is testament to what Lee has done here. He is kind, loving, someone that thinks about the players more than himself.”

Other names will be in the frame but the FA will have seen how De La Fuente has taken Spain to new heights, despite his relative obscurity to the wider footballing world.

The promotion of Carsley, who spent these Euros scouting England’s opponents, would take guts and faith in the much-feted ‘pathway’.

He would have to brace himself for unprecedented levels of scrutiny - but he is ambitious.

With his 50th birthday fast approaching, Carsley said in June last year: “Energy-wise, and I’m not saying the clock’s ticking, but if I don’t have a go at it then the boat is going to pass.”

Few Spaniards were bowled over when De La Fuente was appointed in 2022 but he put them on course to sensational success.

Who is to say putting Carsley at the helm could not have a similar effect?