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Ask Rio Ferdinand about the phrase ‘golden generation’ and he will tell you it was “stupid”.
Actually, he precedes that assessment with an expletive when considering the label in relation to England’s 2006 World Cup team.
“I feel embarrassed when I say it,” the former centre-back says in The Golden Generation, the new BBC documentary looking at why a star-studded team – tipped to end 40 years of hurt since the 1966 triumph – unravelled on the biggest stage.
“I don't look back at that time with any type of happiness.”
And yet, these were golden times – both on and off the field.
Generational footballing talents, showbiz wives and girlfriends, a first foreign manager in Sven-Goran Eriksson – with a colourful private life to boot – their every move made the front and back pages of the newspapers at a time when celebrity culture was exploding.
Built up so much, they fell hard, and there were a lot of questions about what went wrong.
Twenty years on, have those involved got any more answers?
