John Terry believes only three current England players would make it into the 2006 Golden Generation’s first XI.
The former Chelsea defender was asked to pick a combined line-up of current and former Three Lions stars and selected eight of his former England teammates.
Terry was an important part of the England set-up after making his debut in 2003, representing his country at four major tournaments, including the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
The ex-central defender won 78 caps during his nine-year international career, scoring six goals and captaining the side on numerous occasions.
Terry Praises Pickford, James and Kane
Harry Kane in action for England against Andorra
Terry, speaking on his social media channel, was asked to pick a combined line-up of England squads from 2006 and 2026. He selected Jordan Pickford, Reece James and Harry Kane as his only current players, while praising James as ‘the best right-back in the world’.
The former Chelsea defender also included himself alongside Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney in his combined XI.
When choosing his striker between Kane and Michael Owen, Terry was full of praise for the Bayern Munich forward.
“It has to be Harry Kane. I think Harry goes down with Wayne [Rooney] as the best striker of our generation.”
Kane became England’s all-time top scorer in 2023, surpassing Rooney’s tally of 53. Since then, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker has scored another 25 goals for the Three Lions, including eight in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Kane also ranks fifth among England’s most-capped players with 112 appearances, while Pickford is 20th, having won 82 caps.
James, meanwhile, is by far the least capped of the trio, having made only 22 appearances for England so far and scoring once.
Why England’s Golden Generation Failed
Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen
England’s Golden Generation failures remain one of the biggest mysteries of modern football. A team packed with world-class stars ultimately failed to live up to expectations and never truly came close to winning a major tournament.
While many have tried to explain why things went wrong, Michael Owen offered his view in his Daily Mail column in 2018. The former Liverpool striker wrote:
“I look back on my time with England with so many regrets. Many of my teammates do as well.
“Primarily that centres around the system we played. We were made for 3-5-2, with David Beckham and Ashley Cole as wing-backs.
“Now I’m watching a team play that system…Watching England play has been a chore, pretty much an unenjoyable duty for years.
“I would include in that much of the time I played for them, even though, at the time, you don’t realise it… But we played a system that never allowed us to thrive.”
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Would the former Three Lions skipper make a combined XI?