Wayne Rooney Responds to Steven Gerrard's Critique of England Teams
Wayne Rooney, the legendary England forward, believes that recent national team squads do not possess a better attitude than his own generation, which he refers to as the 'golden generation.' He stated that his team simply "didn't quite manage to get over the line" in terms of achieving success.
This week, former England captain Steven Gerrard made headlines by attributing the team's lack of success to key players being "egotistical losers." Gerrard, who earned 114 caps for England from 2000 to 2014, lamented that "we weren't a team."
However, Rooney, during an episode of his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, offered a different perspective. Having played 120 times for England and scoring a record 53 goals between 2003 and 2018, he noted that neither he nor Gerrard managed to reach a semi-final with the national team. In contrast, the England squad has since made it to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final.
“Obviously, we didn’t win anything,” Rooney acknowledged. “I wouldn’t quite put it that way, but I understand what he’s saying. There were many strong personalities in the dressing room.”
He continued, “I wouldn’t say that the current England squads have a better attitude. That would be disrespectful to us as players because we worked hard and tried our best. We just didn’t manage to achieve it. Looking back, with the talent we had, could we have done better? Possibly, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Rooney also pointed out the differences in training dynamics today, mentioning players from rival teams, such as Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford, who train together before returning to their respective clubs for pre-season. “It’s a different generation,” he said. “The media coverage is much better now, and players have a more positive relationship with the media, which creates a better atmosphere.”
Gerrard, who appeared as a guest on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, noted that several former Manchester United and Liverpool players now maintain better relationships as pundits than they did as teammates on the England squad. “I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my teammates in England,” he expressed.
In response, Rooney remarked, “It was difficult to establish that relationship with Liverpool and Manchester United players back then, but it’s easier now. I speak to Steven all the time now. You can have better relationships because you can relax and enjoy a drink together.”
“I got along well with everyone. I was aware that players like David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes were not going to be close to the Liverpool players. However, one thing is certain: everyone worked hard for each other. That was never an issue; we just didn’t manage to get over the line. I didn’t perceive it that way at all,” he added.
Like Gerrard, Rooney participated in six major tournaments for England but only reached the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, he emphasized that the players always “100% believed we could win.”
For more insights, watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport's YouTube channel or listen on BBC Sounds.