Steven Gerrard said he believes the England men’s so-called ‘golden generation’, of which he was a part, failed to win anything because “we were all egotistical losers”.
The former Liverpool player, who is rumoured to be under consideration for a return to Rangers as manager after the sacking of Russell Martin, earned 114 caps for the Three Lions between 2000 and 2014.
He was part of a squad often dubbed the ‘golden generation’ because of the surplus of talent at its disposal, which also included the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen.
However, the team never got beyond the last eight of a major tournament and, for many, never came close to fulfilling their potential.
Speaking to Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gerrard says a lack of personal connection between players was ultimately the group’s downfall, and how those relationships are now very different now.
“I believe we had the football IQ and intelligence to adapt and make it work together,” said Gerrard.
“But there was a bigger problem with England in my opinion. I think we were all egotistical losers.
“I watch the telly now and I see [Jamie] Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes on this fan debate and they look like they’ve been best mates for 20 years.
“I see Carra’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.
“So why didn’t we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry? Why are we all mature enough now and at stages in our life where we’re closer and more connected now.
“Why couldn’t we connect as England teammates back then? And I think it was down to the culture within England, that we were all never connected. All in our rooms too much, we weren’t friendly or connected. We weren’t a team. We never at any stage became a real good, strong team.”
The latest crop of English talent already seem to have eclipsed the achievements of their predecessors, reaching successive European finals and the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel’s men host neighbours Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before a trip to Latvia the following Tuesday knowing a win could see them secure qualification to the World Cup finals next summer in the US, Mexico and Canada.
While Gerrard said he loved playing for his country, he also admitted he sometimes “hated” being away on international duty.
“I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the [hotel] rooms,” he added.
“In my early days, I’d have days where I was down, like low down. Like I’m in this room for seven hours, what am I going to do?
“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.
“I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. I felt like the staff looked over me, like I felt special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there. With England, I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.”
