The summer a golden generation lost its shine
The tag had first been applied in 2001 by the Football Association’s then chief executive Adam Crozier following a stunning 5-1 away win over Germany in a World Cup qualifier. That team went on to lose in the quarter-finals at both the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship. The 2006 World Cup in Germany was seen as the time for this special group of players to deliver.
The main challenge, though, was fitting them into a team. Central to that was the question of whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard should play together – both outstanding attack-minded midfielders but similar in style. “How do you leave out Gerrard, Lampard, [Wayne] Rooney, [David] Beckham?
” adds McClaren. “That was the difficulty. ” There was one player’s inclusion in the 23-man squad that raised a lot of eyebrows at the time – Theo Walcott, a 17-year-old who had yet to play for Arsenal following his move from Southampton the previous January.
Eriksson called him his “gamble”, Wayne Rooney branded it a “strange decision”. “When Theo was announced... you saw mad potential with Theo.
The pace was frightening,” says Ferdinand. “But I still sat there and thought, ‘Jermain Defoe’. If I want a goal, I'm picking Jermain Defoe.