Former England player Steven Gerrard explained why his “golden generation” failed to achieve success with the national team.
— We were all selfish failures. Now I watch television, and Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes sit next to each other, and it seems like they have been friends for over 20 years. I also see how Carragher interacts with Gary Neville. Perhaps I also befriended Rio Ferdinand better than in the 15 years together in the England team.
Why didn’t we have those kinds of relationships when we were 20, 21, 22, or 23 years old? What was the matter? It was related to the culture within the England team. We weren’t friendly or attached. We never managed to become a great, cohesive team.
I hated trips to the England national team. I derived no pleasure from them. I hated living in hotels. There were no social networks or DVD players back then. Just channels one to five on television. It was common for me to feel down.
I loved playing matches and representing the England national team. I enjoyed training, but all of that took 90 minutes a day. After that, I was on my own. I didn’t feel part of the team, — said Steven Gerrard.
It is noteworthy that Steven Gerrard played for the England national team from 2000 to 2014. During this time, he appeared in 114 matches and scored 21 goals.