Steven Gerrard believes the England teams he played in were full of ‘egotistical losers’ and admitted he largely hated international duty.
Gerrard won 114 caps for his country, playing for the Three Lions from 2000-14 and turning out in three World Cups and three European Championships.
The Liverpool legend played alongside a number of England greats, in fabulous sides which featured the likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Owen and more elite stars.
However, they never got as far as a major semi-final, repeatedly falling short despite the quality they could boast.
Gerrard believes it was down to the egos of the players and their inability to gel as a team at international level, failing to overcome the barriers of their club allegiances.
Get personalised football updates every day
Sign up to our daily football newsletter and choose your team to get the latest news, rumours and more about your favourite team.
‘I believe we had the football IQ and intelligence to adapt and make it work together,’ Gerrard told Ferdinand on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. ‘But there was a bigger problem with England in my opinion. I think we were all egotistical losers.
‘I watch the telly now and I see [Jamie] Carragher sitting next to Paul Scholes on this fan debate and they look like they’ve been best mates for 20 years.
‘I see Carra’s relationship with Gary Neville and they look like they’ve been mates for 20 years. I’m probably more close and friendly with you now than I ever was when I played with you for 15 years.
‘So why didn’t we connect when we were 20, 21, 22, 23? Was it ego? Was it rivalry? Why are we all mature enough now and at stages in our life where we’re closer and more connected now? Why couldn’t we connect as England teammates back then?
‘And I think it was down to the culture within England, that we were all never connected. All in our rooms too much, we weren’t friendly or connected. We weren’t a team. We never at any stage became a real good, strong team.’
He added: ‘I think it’s a combination of different things, but one of the big things for me was we weren’t a team. We were a group of individuals with talent and it never works like that.
‘I’ve got a big frustration when I look back at England, that we never did better.’
Gerrard reveals that he had very little fun on international duty outside of actually playing football, with little effort put in to making the experience enjoyable for players while away with England.
The 45-year-old said there were times the boredom and loneliness really left him down, when he felt he should have been living his dream.
‘I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the (hotel) rooms,’ he said. ‘In my early days, I’d have days where I was down, like low down. Like I’m in this room for seven hours, what am I going to do?
‘There was no social media, we didn’t have a DVD player or anything. Channel 1 to 5 or whatever it was on TV. I used to get low and down.
‘I used to love the games. I used to love playing for England. I was really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day. Then I was just on my own in London or Romania or wherever. I was just on my own. I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates with England.
‘I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. When I used to go abroad with Liverpool or an away game with Liverpool, I felt part of a team. I felt like the staff looked over me, like I felt special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there.
‘With England, I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.’