The former Aston Villa star once made a bold move by resigning his captaincy because of the developing situation in his final year there.
Aston Villa in the past few season under Unai Emery has been regularly competing at the top level, qualifying in Europe since 2023/24 season and even ended their long title drought. However, such was entirely different in eve of the new millennium.
Back in the 2000, The Lions did not reach the same height as today. They were more of the mid table teams which were struggling to finish in the top six. Let alone play in the continental competition. They were on the verge of qualifying to UEFA Cup as they reached FA Cup final in the 1999/2000 campaign but lost to Chelsea in the summit.
Such circumstance and stagnancy was concerning and their captain at that time, Gareth Southgate, appeared to be on the crossroad with his own ambition, winning titles and competing in Europe.
The former England boss eventually made a bold decision to resign his captaincy as reported in Sky Sports.
“I have been extremely proud to serve Aston Villa Football Club as captain since 1997, but now feel the present situation compromises this role, and as such have resigned as captain forthwith.”
Southgate joined Aston Villa from Crystal Palace in 1995. He was part of Brian Little’s squad when they won EFL League Cup in his first season. Unfortunately, it became his only trophy he ever lifted with the Clarets and Blue.
The ex-defender who was made captain in 1997 became concerned with The Lions campaigns season after season. Despite having signed contract extension in 1998, which should have tied him up till 2004, he decided to quit being a skipper as he handed a transfer request in June 2000.
“I have had a meeting with the chairman Doug Ellis and manager John Gregory and having given very careful consideration to my protracted position, I have advised the manager of the following decision,”
Unfortunately, Villa were not willing to release him easily. They even put a £ 6 million as his price tag, hoping to keep the potential suitors at bay. Villa’s boss at that time, John Gregory, also clung to him as the England international had been a key man in the team and performing consistently.
As a result, several teams had been keeping tabs on him from Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs and West Ham. Although there was no formal offer on the table yet, his decision could accelerate them to come up with a serious offer to meet Aston Villa’s demand.
After staying for a season, the situation did not improve as Villa once again missed out the automatic spot in the continental competition and finished 8th in the 2000/01. They only qualified for Intertoto Cup, which was a tournament for UEFA Cup qualifier. The Clarets and Blue eventually granted his move to Middlesbrough, which actually finished even lower than Villa in that season. Southgate’s transfer fee was £ 6.5 million.
Despite signing for the team with worse campaign then Villa, the heavy investment from Boro’s management eventually gave way to the player who started his professional career with Crystal Palace. His team lifted League Cup trophy in 2004, finished 7th to secure a UEFA Cup berth in 2005, and reached UEFA Cup final in 2006. Sadly, Boro was trounced by Sevilla 4-0 in the summit at Eindhoven. It became Southgate’s last match before hanging his boots.
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