Gerrard shocks: 'England's team is full of selfish losers'

Legend Steven Gerrard shocked English football supporters by frankly pointing out why the golden generation of the Three Lions could not attain success.

During a conversation on the podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard gave candid remarks about his time playing for England. According to Gerrard, the reason the Three Lions couldn’t succeed during the “golden generation” period was internal, where egos and rivalry among top clubs destroyed team unity.

The former Liverpool captain, who earned 114 caps for England from 2000 to 2014, believed the team culture lacked cohesion and empathy among players. Gerrard admitted: "We were selfish losers. I see Carragher and Gary Neville now as close friends, but why couldn’t we connect like that when we played? Back then, it was ego and rivalry. We never truly became a team."

Gerrard revealed he sometimes “hated” the environment in the England squad, despite always being proud to represent his country. Compared to Liverpool, the 45-year-old former midfielder shared that the sense of “belonging to a collective” at his club was very different from the disjointed feeling in the national team. "When I played for Liverpool, I felt special, I felt cared for. But with England, I just looked forward to playing and then quickly going home", Gerrard said.

He said England at that time lacked team spirit. Players spent too much time alone, with little interaction or sharing, which made the squad’s bonds weak. Gerrard admitted: "We weren’t close, we didn’t connect, we weren’t a strong unit. In England back then, the culture was everyone thinking only about themselves".

The former Liverpool midfielder also agreed with Rio Ferdinand that the “underlying bitterness” between groups of players from Man United, Chelsea, and Liverpool made things difficult for England. While these clubs fiercely competed in the Premier League, they couldn’t put aside their rivalries to focus on national goals.

Gerrard believes if the team back then had the unity spirit it has now, the results would have been different. He gave special praise to coach Gareth Southgate, who transformed the Three Lions since taking charge in 2016, leading them to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, the EURO 2021 final, and 2024. "Southgate is underrated. He helped England connect better. In my era, we were just a group of talented players, not a real team – and that never brings success," Gerrard emphasized.

Looking back at his international career, Gerrard still regrets that the “golden generation” with stars like Lampard, Scholes, Beckham, and Ferdinand never passed the quarter-finals in major tournaments. Could England have made a different history if egos were smaller?