Steven Gerrard points blame for England’s Golden Generation failing: “Egotistical losers”

Former captain Steve Gerrard pulls no punches as he gives his reasons for why England failed under the likes of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello

Steven Gerrard claims England were losers during his time on the international stage, because of the egos and bitterness which existed between Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea stars.

England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ remain one of the biggest under-achieving teams of all time.

The likes of Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Ashley Cole failed to help the Three Lions reach a semi final of a major tournament.

And Gerrard, speaking as a guest on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ podcast, believes the group were too immature to get along. Gerrard said: “I think we were all egotistical losers.

“Because 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.

READ MORE: Steven Gerrard admits Liverpool job is his dream – but he wants Jurgen Klopp to stayREAD MORE: The true test of Premier League stars’ loyalty to come as season extends into summer

“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 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 really good strong team.”

Despite winning 114 caps and captaining his country, Gerrard says he despised being with England at times.

He added: “I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the rooms. 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, didn’t have a DVD player or anything.

“Channel 1 to 5, or whatever it was. I used to get low and down. I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. Really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions, but it was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just on my own in London or wherever.

“And I was thinking, I’m in this room from now till I have half an hour dinner, then till the next day. It was like I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my teammates with England. I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.”

Listen to the full Rio Meets Steven Gerrard interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Go to www.youtube.com/@rioferdinandpresents

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.