Steven Gerrard: England’s Golden Generation were ‘egotistical losers’ | OneFootball

Steven Gerrard believes England's Golden Generation failed to win anything because they were "egotistical losers".

Hopes of a long-awaited major international title were high for the Three Lions in the mid-2000s, with Gerrard part of a superstar-laden era of England that included Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Ashley Cole.

But despite such a stacked roster, England never came particularly close to ending what was then 40 years of hurt. They suffered quarter-final penalties heartbreak to Portugal at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, before missing out on Euro 2008 entirely.

The 45-year-old, who won 114 international caps, highlighted the long-standing issue of club cliques for preventing the squad coming together in the national shirt.

"We were all egotistical losers," said Gerrard, a guest on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

England's Golden Generation never lived up to the hype (Getty Images)

"I watch the telly now and I see Jamie Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes and they look like they've been best mates for 20 years.

"And I see Carragher's relationship with Gary Neville and they look like they've been mates for 20 years. I'm probably more close and friendly with you (Ferdinand) now than I ever was when I played with you for 15 years (for England).

"So why didn't we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?

"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 real good, strong team."

Gerrard revealed an element of loneliness to England’s Golden Generation due to the prevalence of cliques, with this lack of connection off the pitch having an impact on team performance.

On England duty, he added: "I hated it. I didn't enjoy it. Hated the (hotel) rooms.

"There was no social media, we didn't have a DVD player or anything. Channel 1 to 5 or whatever it was on TV. I used to get low and down.

"I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. I was really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just on my own.

"I didn't feel part of a team. I didn't feel connected with my team-mates with England."