Gary Neville names his ultimate England golden generation XI | OneFootball

Highlights

Since 1966, England have failed to get their hands on any major silverware in international football. Having come close in both Euro '96 and the 2021 European Championships, past Three Lions sides have been shrouded in what if's.

Arguably the biggest example of this is 'the golden generation' between 2004-2006. Managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson, this team contained some of the best and most exciting talents in world football, yet came up short in producing in the big moments. Being knocked out of both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup in the quarter-final stages, many believed that was the country's best chance of winning a tournament since '66.

One of the prominent members of this team was defender Gary Neville. In the latest edition of The Overlap, the current pundit has put together his ultimate golden generation XI and has raised a few eyebrows with his picks.

Despite being an integral part of the team himself, Neville opted to exclude himself from the starting XI, falling foul of his own system change. In an interesting twist, the former Manchester United captain selected three centre-backs and two wing-backs, something that then manager Eriksson did not opt for during his reign.

Of some of the biggest shocks, Neville chose to select his good friends David Beckham at right-wing back and Paul Scholes in defensive midfield. This is despite the fact that the duo were never famed for their ability off the ball.

Sol Campbell, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand made up the back three with David James behind them in goal. Ashley Cole took up the left-hand side, whilst Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, the latter of whom was a guest on the podcast, played ahead of Scholes. This then left a front two of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. The pair were a lethal combination throughout Euro 2004. However, due to injuries, they were unable to start a game together in the 2006 World Cup.

Why the golden generation failed

The topic was heavily discussed on The Overlap

Neville was joined by former international colleague Lampard during the latest episode of his podcast. Chelsea's leading goalscorer has previously been outspoken on why England's golden generation failed to meet the expectations of the fans. During their discussion on this topic, the former midfielder clarified his feelings further. He stated:

Co-host Roy Keane also questioned whether or not the egos of players from rival clubs also impacted the way the team played, to which Lampard responded:

Watch the discussion below: (Starts at 37:36)