Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes ... 'were all egotistical losers' with England

In the 2000s, the England men's football team had an enviable array of midfielders, who could have easily fit into most national teams. Steven Gerrard, one of the stars of the golden generation thinks the reason for their collective failure with England was because they were 'egotistical losers'.

Gerrard's batch of English underachievers comprising David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard among other Premier League stars never got past the quarterfinal stage at a major tournament. "I think we were all egotistical losers," Gerrard said in a podcast hosted by former England teammate Ferdinand.

"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.

"Why are we all mature enough now and at stages in our life where we're closer and more connected? Why couldn't we connect as England teammates back then?" Gerrard said.

The midfield metronome also knows the reason for their failure as a unit. "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."

"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 Romania or wherever," said the 45-year-old.