England’s so-called ‘golden generation’ comes in for its fair share of stick these days.
A sublime crop of players that emerged ahead of the 2002 World Cup included the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and many other superstars.
Add to the crop Wayne Rooney, who took Euro 2004 by storm as a teenager, and England had the individual quality to go on and win major tournaments in the years that followed.
‘I had a great run, eventually getting over 50 caps’ Gareth Barry admits playing for England could also be frustrating at times
Their failure to do so, or play as a cohesive unit under managers including Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, has been widely discussed in the years since.
One member of that group, Gareth Barry, admits frustration on his own England career in an exclusive chat with FourFourTwo.
“My whole England career was a tiny bit stop-start,” Barry, who made his Three Lions bow under Kevin Keegan ahead of Euro 2000, tells FourFourTwo on behalf of Midnite. “To make my debut at 19 and only have eight caps in my mid-20s was frustrating.”
Barry failed to make an appearance at that Euros, and was shunted around in the years that followed, playing everywhere from right wing to left back.
“I think that was probably where my Aston Villa career also was at the time, being versatile and playing different positions,” he tells FourFourTwo.
“But I don't regret anything, I had a great run, eventually getting over 50 caps.”
Despite not making the squads for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups or Euro 2004, Barry was a key player for the side that failed to reach Euro 2008.
That disappointment, coupled with an early exit at the hands of Germany at the 2010 World Cup - his only major tournament showing - was nothing unusual during a hugely disappointing decade for English football.
Midnite, one of the fastest-growing betting and casino companies in the world, has today proven that it really is BUILT DIFFERENT, by becoming the first betting app to place a bet in space. The bet in question backed England to win the World Cup, and was placed by former England midfielder, Gareth Barry.
