'We were all egotistical losers': Steven Gerrard's BOLD assessment of England's 'golden generation' failure
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'We were all egotistical losers': Steven Gerrard's BOLD assessment of England's 'golden generation' failure")
'We were all egotistical losers': Steven Gerrard's BOLD assessment of England's 'golden generation' failure Photograph: (AFP)
England’s golden generation was blessed with star names like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and others.
English football was at its peak in the late 2000s when European competitions were dominated by big names like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. While domination in club competitions was a feature story for English teams having a core of England players, the same was not transformed on the international stage. Despite two English teams playing in the 2008 Champions League final (led by English players), the national side failed to reach Euro 2008.
Gerrard slams England’s golden generation
Now reflecting on the underachievement, former England captain Steven Gerrard sat down with Rio Ferdinand. According to Gerrard, England were victims of egotistical issues. Despite a host of stars achieving success at the club level, it was not the case in England’s dressing room. There were visible issues between players like Ferdinand and John Terry, as it held the national success.
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"We were all egotistical losers," Gerrard said on the podcast, noting the contrast with the current camaraderie between the same players in their punditry careers.
"So why didn't we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?"
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"It was down to the culture within England. We weren't friendly or connected. We weren't a team. We never at any stage became a really good, strong team."
England’s golden generation was blessed with star names like Frank Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and others. However, despite England failing to reach the main tournament of Euro 2008, they were knocked out of the 2006 FIFA World Cup at the quarterfinal stage and eliminated in the R16 at the 2010 showpiece.
While the golden generation underachieved, England’s current crop of players have made the nation proud. The Three Lions have reached the finals of the last two editions of the Euro’s while they were semifinalists at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
