Michael Owen can’t sleep wondering how Golden Generation didn’t win anything
For the latest from the pitch sign up for our football newsletter
Thank you for subscribing!
For the latest from the pitch sign up for our football newsletter
We have more newsletters
Michael Owen has sleepless nights wondering how he never won trophies playing with England’s ‘Golden Generation’.
In the late 90s and 2000s, Owen was part of sides eliminated at the quarter-finals in three major tournaments – despite their highly-rated players. The former striker, 43, reckons England had an “unbelievable” team but some players’ actions stopped them achieving – such as David Beckham’s red card in the 1998 World Cup.
He added: “England have got a history of self-imploding. You just think, a lot of the tournaments we’ve gone out, it’s actually not necessarily for footballing reasons. So, of course I go to bed regularly thinking how didn’t we win something with England – the teams that we had.”
READ MORE: Michael Owen still 'resents' David Beckham for red card at 1998 World Cup
READ MORE: 'We asked a dial-a-psychic world's biggest questions like will England ever win World Cup'
Join the Daily Star's WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we'll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Owen, who scored 40 goals for England, said he still “resented” Beckham after his sending-off in the 1998 quarters against Argentina. He said: “He made a mistake and you could say that contributed to us going out of the World Cup.”
Owen also reckons Wayne Rooney, 38, getting sent off in the 2006 World Cup cost them dear. Despite Owen’s goals, England at major tournaments was a tale of underachievement during his career.
Why didn't the 'Golden Generation' ever win a trophy? Tell us in the comments section below
The Three Lions went out to Argentina in the second round at the 1998 World Cup, the group stage at Euro 2000 and the quarter-finals under Sven-Goran Eriksson at the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. Following Eriksson’s departure, England then suffered the embarrassment of failing to qualify for Euro 2008.
Owen’s national team high was undoubtedly his hat-trick in the famous 5-1 rout of Germany in 2001 during qualifying for the following year’s World Cup. Owen went on to become only the fourth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or .
But the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker told Simon Jordan’s Up Front podcast: “I wasn’t the best player in the world when I won the Ballon d’Or. But in a sense I was.
Join the Daily Star's WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we'll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN
“Realistically I knew I wasn’t the best in the world. You had the likes of Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane playing at that time – there were better players than me. However, when I stepped on the pitch I felt like I was the best. But when I sit here today, I know that there were better players than me at the time.
“I think footballers were more pure back in the day. Now you have to be an athlete, you have to be able to run, you have to be big and you have to be fast. If Matt Le Tissier, one of the most gifted players of our time, were playing today, would he even get into a team?”
- World Cup
- Michael Owen
- England Football Team
Source: Read Full Article