England’s failure to get past the quarter-finals of a major tournament during the 2000s remains one of recent history’s biggest head-scratchers.
Sven-Goran Eriksson was able to call upon a host of world-class stars during his tenure as England boss, but in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, plus the European Championship in 2004, his side hit a last-eight-shaped brick wall each time.
Chelsea skipper John Terry was part of this so-called ‘Golden Generation’, breaking into the Three Lions side in 2003 and becoming a regular under Eriksson before being named captain after David Beckham relinquished the armband after the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
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John Terry reflects on England’s ‘Golden Generation’
Sven-Goran Eriksson ahead of the game between England and Sweden at the 2006 World Cup
England failed to get past the quarter-finals of any tournament under Sven-Goran Eriksson(Image credit: Getty Images)
One of the most common takes on why England’s group of elite players could never gel was that club tribalism got in the way, with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all embroiled in bitter Premier League rivalries.
“I personally didn’t feel that there were cliques,” Terry tells FourFourTwo. “I can’t speak for others. Players did tend to sit with their club-mates at dinner times, but that’s natural - those are your closest mates. We used to play computer games and stuff with the Man United boys.
John Terry captaining England in 2011
Terry captained England 34 times(Image credit: Alamy)
“Yes, there was a massive rivalry between clubs, but I’m not sure that got in the way. I think the main reason for our lack of success was that other teams were very good at the time, possibly stronger than now.
“But there’s no doubt we didn’t fulfil our potential as a group. We had world-class players.”
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Terry was handed the captain’s armband by Steve McClaren in August 2006 and would initially retain it under Fabio Capello before being stripped of England’s captaincy following allegations regarding his private life in 2010.
That was after the centre-back had led his country out 34 times and Terry remains proud of what he was able to achieve.
Captain John Terry celebrates with the FA Cup after Chelsea's victory over Portsmouth in the 2010 final
Terry enjoyed for more success at club level(Image credit: Alamy)
“It was a dream to lead England out at Wembley for the first time - it still gives me goosebumps. The armband on, the team behind you, the national anthem at a packed stadium… I was very proud.
“Steve had been around the England setup for a long time, so he’d seen I had those leadership qualities and saw how I handled myself in that role at Chelsea. I loved being England captain.”