ENGLAND are hoping Gareth Southgate finally walks the walk and delivers Euro 2024 glory this summer – but he can certainly talk the talk in Germany.
He is currently preparing his Three Lions for Sunday’s opening group match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.
RexGareth Southgate has been learning German ahead of Euro 2024[/caption]
England then take on Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday before finishing their Euro 2024 group stage against Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday 25 June.
Southgate led England to the World Cup semi-final in 2018 and quarter-final four years later. And he almost delivered Euro success inbetween only for our boys to be defeated by Italy on penalties in the final of Euro 2020.
But while he has been getting set for another crack at it, Southgate has also been working on improving his language skills.
The 53-year-old, whose contract expires later this year and who has yet to pen an extension, was determined to be able to be a “good ambassador” and learn the local lingo.
And that has led to him using the Duolingo app to help him speak German.
He told SPORT BILD: “I learned a little French and Spanish at school. But never German.
“I would be embarrassed if I couldn’t greet the staff in our hotel properly in the morning during the tournament.
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“Of course most people speak English, we’re spoiled in that respect. But we can be arrogant sometimes and I want to at least try.
“I want to be a good ambassador for the English people.”
Recalling when he and his staff visited the base camp in Blankenhain, Southgate said: “We were having dinner and the waiter came and all I could say was ‘excuse me’.
“Then we discussed it at the table and I said that I don’t speak German. Someone recommended that I try ‘Duolingo’.
“Since then, I’ve tried to learn a little bit every day.”
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Southgate originally revealed back in March that he “wasn’t very proud” after visiting Germany to scope out training bases and for the Euro draw.
He said: “The only thing I am doing at the moment is trying to learn German for the summer.
“I was conscious when we went on the recces and to the draws, I actually hadn’t got a clue.
“I wasn’t very proud of that. So I’m trying to at least be able to have some interaction with people there.”
However, despite all of his cramming up on the language, it seems he is still not confident enough to speak to the local media in their native tongue.
He added: “I’m not sure how far I’ll get and whether I’ll ever be able to give a press conference in German.”
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