England legend Wayne Rooney has defended his country’s so-called “golden generation,” hitting back at former teammate Steven Gerrard’s comments that key players were “egotistical losers” and “weren’t a team.”
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney acknowledged that his side “didn’t quite manage to get over the line,” but strongly dismissed any suggestion that current England squads have a better attitude, calling the claim “disrespectful” to players who “worked hard, we tried.”
Gerrard, who shared six major tournaments with Rooney but never reached a semi-final, had blamed internal divisions for their lack of success.
Rooney conceded that the historical rivalry between players from clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool made relationships difficult, but insisted, “everyone worked hard for each other… I don’t think that was an issue.”
He attributes the current team’s success (two Euros finals, one World Cup semi-final) to a “different generation” where rival club players now train together before the season, and better media relations give a more positive “feeling” externally.
Despite the failures, Rooney maintained that he and his teammates “100%” believed they could win every time they took the pitch.
