Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he hated being part of the England squad during his playing days, praising former teammate Gareth Southgate for the cultural changes he later implemented as manager. Gerrard won 114 senior caps for the Three Lions and played in front of Southgate on several occasions, but the atmosphere back then was markedly different compared to today.
His first cap came in May 2000, and he played his debut tournament at the European Championships shortly after that summer. He was a key member of England’s squad up until the 2014 World Cup, leading the team to defeats against Italy and Uruguay. But the former midfielder insists his international career pales in comparison to the high he experienced at his childhood club.
During a guest appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gerrard was asked about his experience in the England camp. His response was frank.
“I hated it and didn’t enjoy it,” he said. “I hated my room. There were days in the early days when I felt depressed. What am I supposed to do when I’m in this room for seven hours?”
But Gerrard made it clear that his problem was not with playing for England itself. He added: “I used to love the game. I loved playing for England. I’m really proud of it. I enjoyed the training sessions, but they were 90 minutes a day.”
“And I was alone in London, in Romania, everywhere. And I was thinking, I’m going to be in this room from now until I have a half-hour dinner and into the next day. I didn’t feel like I was part of the team. I didn’t feel connected to my England team-mates.”
“I didn’t feel that way at Liverpool. It was the best years of my life. When I was overseas to Liverpool, going to away games against Liverpool, I felt like part of the team.”
“I felt like the staff were looking out for me and it made me feel special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there. I just wanted to play matches and practice in England and then leave.”
Gerrard spent almost all of his playing career with Liverpool, before briefly moving to LA Galaxy in his later years.
He made over 700 appearances for the Reds, securing Champions League glory in 2005 and reaching the final again two years later.
On the international stage, he captained England at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and Euro 2012.
While he wore the armband, the Three Lions never got beyond the quarter-final stage of a major tournament, but later enjoyed greater success under Southgate’s leadership, including back-to-back appearances in European Championship finals.
“I think Gareth Southgate is underrated in terms of his links with the England team,” Gerrard added. “Because for me, the talent was there and the players were there.
“The level of the game we were all playing was at a level where we could have done more than what we did. I think we were a bit unlucky with penalties or something.
“We have to take responsibility, but when you look back at England, there’s a huge frustration that we haven’t done better. I think it’s a combination of things.”
“One of the big things for me is we weren’t a team. We were a group of talented individuals, but it never works that way.”
