“Selfish losers”: World star slams his time with the national team | OneFootball

In the early 2000s, England’s hopes for a long-awaited international title were enormous. There was constant talk of the much-quoted “Golden Generation.” Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was part of this English team packed with superstars, which also included Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry, and Paul Scholes.

But despite this star-studded squad, England never really came close to ending what was already a 40-year drought at the time. At Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals on penalties by Portugal. The star ensemble didn’t even qualify for Euro 2008.

📸 Matthew Lewis - 2006 Getty Images

The now 45-year-old, who played 114 international matches for the Three Lions, emphasized that, above all, the strong presence of cliques prevented the team from truly coming together in the national jersey.

“We were all egotistical losers,” Gerrard said as a guest on the podcast of his former national teammate Rio Ferdinand. England’s “Golden Generation” was never able to live up to the high expectations.

“I see Jamie Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes on TV today, and it looks like they’ve been best friends for 20 years. And I see Carragher’s relationship with Gary Neville, and it seems like they’ve been friends for 20 years. I’m probably closer friends with you today than I was during the 15 years with you in the national team,” said Gerrard, who apparently still struggles with the situation even two decades later.

“Why didn’t we manage it when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?” he wondered. Stevie G. immediately provided the answer:

“It was down to the culture within England. We weren’t friends, we weren’t on the same wavelength. We weren’t a team. At no point did we become a really good, strong side.”

Gerrard also spoke about his personal feeling of loneliness within England’s “Golden Generation,” which was intensified by the existing club-based cliques—and this ultimately affected performances on the pitch.

In particular, the everyday things within the national team have remained a negative memory for the 45-year-old: “I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. I hated the (hotel) rooms. There was no social media, we didn’t have a DVD player or anything. Just channels 1 to 5 or whatever was on TV. I was often down and sad.”

As soon as he had the ball at his feet, however, it was a complete contrast: “I loved playing for England. I was really proud. I enjoyed the training sessions, but that was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just alone.”

In conclusion, he even admitted that he didn’t feel like part of the team and, unlike with his club teammates, didn’t feel connected to the players at England.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Sandra Behne - Bongarts