Former England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has revealed that ego and membership rivalries prevented England's gifted era from attaining worldwide success throughout his taking part in profession. Talking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the 45-year-old, who earned 114 worldwide caps, mentioned how inner divisions amongst gamers from totally different Premier League golf equipment hindered the nationwide crew's efficiency.Gerrard, who led Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, was a part of England's “golden era” that did not progress past quarter-finals in main tournaments regardless of having distinctive expertise from high golf equipment.The squad included Manchester United stars Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, and Wayne Rooney, alongside Chelsea gamers Ashley Cole, John Terry, and Frank Lampard, who all achieved success in Premier League and Champions League.“We had been all egotistical losers,” Gerrard stated on the podcast, noting the distinction with the present camaraderie between the identical gamers of their punditry careers. “So why did not we join once we had been 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry?”“It was all the way down to the tradition inside England. We weren't pleasant or related. We weren't a crew. We by no means at any stage turned an actual good, robust crew.”England proceed to hunt their first main males's worldwide trophy because the 1966 World Cup, although they reached the finals of the final two European Championships below Gareth Southgate, who lately stepped down after Euro 2024.“Gareth Southgate is underrated for a way he related with the England crew,” Gerrard stated. “As a result of for me, the expertise was there. The gamers had been there. The extent of video games we had been all taking part in at was there to go and do higher than what we did.”“We had just a little little bit of unhealthy luck with penalties or no matter. We've got to take duty, however I've acquired a giant frustration after I look again at England that we by no means did higher. I feel it is a mixture of various issues, however one of many massive issues for me was we weren't a crew. We had been a bunch of people with expertise and it by no means works like that.”Thomas Tuchel has taken cost of England's World Cup marketing campaign subsequent yr following Southgate's departure.Gerrard's personal managerial profession has confronted setbacks after unsuccessful spells at Aston Villa and Saudi Arabian membership Al Ettifaq. He's now among the many favourites to return to Rangers, the place he received the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21.Relating to his managerial future, Gerrard stated: “There's part of me that also feels that there is a little bit of unfinished enterprise by way of desirous to go in and face one other couple of thrilling challenges. However I desire a sure sort of problem. If in a super world they arrive out there, I am going to bounce at them. If they do not, I will not return in. I need to be at a crew that is going to compete to win as a result of I feel that fits me higher.“
