A smiling Gareth Southgate waved to fans amid questions about his future as the England team left their Berlin hotel to begin their journey home today.
The manager, who is contracted to the end of 2024, is pondering whether to stay on for the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico amid calls for him to move on as those close to him claimed he is poised to quit.
The Three Lions will fly into a London airport on a private jet at lunchtime but there will be no chance for supporters to greet them back on home soil.
The team stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Berlin but checked out at 9am this morning. Stars Jude Bellingham, Kyle Walker, Harry Kane, Phil Foden and goalscorer Cole Palmer all looked forlorn as they walked to the team coach.
It came as the country waits to see if Gareth Southgate will resign as England manager after his second straight defeat in a Euros final – amid growing rumours that the defeat to Spain will be his last game.
Had England won the match in Berlin last night, an open top bus tour of London was planned. But now the team will slip home when they leave Germany and land in the UK later.
‘England’s players and staff will be travelling back on a charter flight and will leave the airport via a private terminal, so there will not be an opportunity for the public to greet them on arrival’, a Football Association spokesman said.
‘We thank you, our incredible fans, for all of your support throughout the tournament’.
It is not known if foreign based stars such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will travel with the squad. Kane may travel to Munich while Bellingham could jet back to Madrid.
Back home, after another night of heartbreaking high drama on the football pitch, Hangover Monday could see as many as two million Britons call in sick today.
Millions more bleary-eyed fans were expected to work from home, while some schools told children they could come in late having slept in after staying up for the final whistle.
Supermarket chain Lidl even gave its 30,000 staff a lie-in to get over England’s 2-1 defeat to Spain – and opened stores an hour late.
While the country nurses yet more football hurt, the future of the team’s manager swirls.
Friends and pundits have said that they believe that ‘win or lose’ in Berlin, it would have been the manager’s last game in charge.
But sources at the FA have insisted they want him to stay and the final decision will be all his.
Gareth Southgate has suggested that he will take time to reflect before deciding whether he wants to continue as England manager.
The 53-year-old led the Three Lions to second place at Euro 2024 – three years after his side also finished as runners up at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.
England’s latest attempt to win their first major men’s trophy since 1966 ended on Sunday night with a 2-1 defeat by Spain in Berlin.
Less than an hour after that game was over, Southgate was asked about his future in an interview with ITV.
He replied: ‘I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision. I have to talk to the right people. It is not for now.’
Southgate – who has been in charge since September 2016 – is under contract with the Football Association until December. But it is understood that senior officials within the FA are keen for him to extend that deal.
Under Southgate, England have now reached two consecutive Euros finals, as well as getting to a semi-final and a quarter-final in his two World Cup campaigns.
After losing 2-1 to Spain on Sunday night, Southgate declared himself proud of his players and also praised their opposition.
‘I think they were the best team in the tournament,’ he said. ‘We didn’t keep the ball well enough but we were in it until the last. I am devastated for everyone, the players have been incredible, I am so proud.
‘We had a little bit of momentum, a big chance at the end to equalise as well, but I’m not sure we did quite enough.
‘Against Spain you have to keep the ball when you win it back. We were fine defensively in the first half but that takes it out your legs.
‘There’s no hiding that we have had a lot of issues. We have managed to deal with most of them but we have fallen short.
‘The players have got to take enormous credit for getting us as close as they did.
‘I am proud of the way they have fought, represented the shirt with pride and were never beaten until five minutes of the last game.’
He later added: ‘England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they have now and the age of the squad.
‘This squad will be around for the next World Cup. There is a lot to look forward to but that is no consolation.’
Three Lions fans have woken up with sore heads and broken hearts today, with millions expected to call in sick as schools open late following England’s crushing defeat.
As many as two million people could call in sick this morning with millions more bleary-eyed fans expected to work from home, while some schools told children they could come in late after staying up for the final whistle.
One employer, supermarket chain Lidl, decided to give its 30,000 staff a lie-in and opened stores an hour late this morning after England’s heartbreaking 2-1 defeat against Spain in Berlin.
Super sub Cole Palmer’s stunning equaliser came only in vain as Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner secured a 2-1 victory for the Spaniards.
Nico Williams’ strike early in the second half had put Spain ahead but Palmer’s brilliant leveller saw England come from behind for the fourth game in a row.
Gareth Southgate’s men fell short this time, however, as Oyarzabal struck in the 86th minute, plunging England fans into despair as the Three Lions failed to end 58 years of hurt.
Crestfallen supporters were left in disbelief after they had packed into bars and pubs in the hope of seeing England go one step further after also losing in the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley.
Shortly after the full-time whistle, dozens of England fans appeared to clash with Spanish supporters – while many turned on each other.
Shocking footage from last night shows some Three Lions fans fighting each other in the village of Welwyn as two brutes are seen raining down punches on another man who is pushed to the ground as he sits in his chair.
While violent and angry scenes erupted in the stands at Olympiastadion in Berlin last night where the final as two Englishman threw punches at one another.
This morning, the usually bustling London Waterloo station was almost deserted and one of the Aston Express Way – one of the busiest routes into Birmingham – looked empty as people stayed in bed to nurse their hangovers and broken hearts.
The scale of workplace absence was calculated in a study using data from the Office for National Statistics from the past ten years.
Online personal injury claims firm claims.co.uk calculated that an average of 425,000 Britons call in sick every day but that sickness rocketed after ‘big events’ such as football tournaments, Christmas parties, and bank holidays.
It estimates the number of people ringing in sick could rise as much as five-fold today – with a potential cost to the economy of as much as £1.9bn.