England Fans Serenade Gareth Southgate Lookalike in Germany Ahead of Euro Semifinal

One German police officer enjoyed an eventful afternoon Wednesday.
Nov 25, 2022; Al Khor, Qatar; England manager Gareth Southgate during the national anthem before a group stage match against the United States of America during the 2022 World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium.
Nov 25, 2022; Al Khor, Qatar; England manager Gareth Southgate during the national anthem before a group stage match against the United States of America during the 2022 World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium. / Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

England manager Gareth Southgate has been a fixture in the imaginations of two generations of soccer fans.

To those who came of age in the 1990s, he was a reliable defender for Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesborough (and, unfortunately, the goat of the 1996 European Championship). To those coming of age now, he is the impeccably dressed steady hand guiding England to myriad tournament success.

Either way, he is the type of personality popular enough to be serenaded on the street. No, check that—he is the type of personality popular enough that people that look like him are serenaded on the streets of other countries.

Take this video that circulated ahead of England's European Championship semifinal against the Netherlands Wednesday.

A German police officer bearing a passing resemblance to Southgate is surrounded by English fans—all singing a parody of Atomic Kitten's "Whole Again" with lyrics reworked to praise Southgate.

Hilariously, one of his fellow officers appears to be filming the scene as well.

England, which lost the European final in 2021 to Italy, is seeking its first major men's trophy since winning the World Cup in 1966.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .