ENGLAND’S Golden Generation had fans dreaming of silverware when Sven Goran-Eriksson’s side lined up at Euro 2004.
And 18 years ago, they managed a 4-2 win over Croatia that had us all believing they could go all the way.
Two goals from Wayne Rooney and one each from Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard saw the Three Lions reach the knockout stages of the Euros on foreign soil for the first time ever.
The group stage wasn’t without its drama, with Zinedine Zidane putting two past England in injury time to beat Goran-Eriksson’s men 2-1 in their opening game.
But the painful defeat was soon a distant memory as the Three Lions put three past Switzerland in their next match, before that victory over Croatia.
With undoubtedly one of the strongest sides since their 1966 World Cup win, the nation was left shattered after penalty heartbreak to Portugal in the quarter-final.
It was a case of what could have been if Rooney hadn’t broken his metatarsal in the early stages of the game.
But where are the players that featured in that contest now?
David James
Keeper James played for England until the World Cup in 2010 earning 53 caps.
After a year stint at Bournemouth in 2013, James raised eyebrows with a move to Icelandic side ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar in a player/coaching capacity.
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He then moved to India with Kerala Blasters as a player and later managed the club in 2018.
James was eventually sacked as manager 11 months later, and is now an occasional pundit on Sky Sports.
Gary Neville
The former Manchester United right-back hung up his boots in 2011 and has since forged out a successful career as a pundit for Sky Sports.
Alongside Jamie Carragher, Neville has become a huge hit with viewers on Sky Sports for his in-depth analysis.
The Twitter regular also had an unsuccessful spell as manager of Valencia and was England’s assistant manager.
SunSport revealed that Neville is raking in £20,000 a month from the terraces — after buying four Georgian townhouses.
John Terry
The Chelsea legend has also gone into coaching and continues to build his reputation on the touchline.
After ending his illustrious playing career at Aston Villa, Terry took up an assistant manager position to boss Dean Smith but has since left.
He is now hunting for his first manager’s job and is working as a youth development coach at Chelsea.
Sol Campbell
Defensive rock Campbell retired from football in 2011 after a final spell at Newcastle.
He then had a number of years out of the game where he turned to politics and in 2015 confirmed his intention to run for the Conservative Party nomination for the Mayor of London.
He returned to football in 2017 when he was assistant manager to Dennis Lawrence at Trinidad and Tobago.
He got a shot of management at Macclesfield and pulled off a great escape to keep them in League Two.
Campbell was later appointed Southend manager, but left the club in 2020.
The former defender was in the running for the QPR job, but Michael Beale has pipped him to the post for the role.
Ashley Cole
After a stint in the MLS, he spent a season at Derby before retiring.
Now one of England’s greatest left-backs is forging out a career in coaching and was part of the staff working alongside Frank Lampard at Everton before he was sacked.
Cole is also a pundit for the BBC and covered the Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the FA Cup final.
David Beckham
Golden Balls remains one of the most famous names in football and is looking to take the MLS to new levels with his latest venture.
He retired in 2013 after playing for Paris Saint-Germain and became co-owner of Manchester-based side Salford City.
Beckham is also president of Inter Miami CF, who recently enticed Lionel Messi to the MLS.
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard retired in 2016 after spending a season at LA Galaxy.
He then returned to boyhood club Liverpool as a youth coach in January 2017.
He took charge of the Under-18 side before being announced as the manager of Rangers in 2018, where he helped the club win the Scottish league.
Last season, he was sacked as Aston Villa manager and has been linked with a return to management by Leeds.
Frank Lampard
Lampard has enjoyed a meteoric rise as a coach after hanging up his boots.
After a stint working in media, Derby announced his managerial appointment for the 2018-19 campaign.
A heartbreaking play-off defeat followed before Chelsea sensationally announced his return as manager following the departure of Maurizio Sarri.
He finished in the top four in his first season, but was sacked in his second.
But, he returned to management at Everton – saving the club from relegation in dramatic fashion.
Lampard was sacked by the Toffees last season and became Chelsea interim manager, until Mauricio Pochettino was brought in to the club.
Paul Scholes
Goalscorer against Croatia, the once publicity-shy Scholes has emerged into the limelight to become a television pundit.
He has also become Salford’s co-owner with his Class of ’92 Manchester United team-mates.
Scholes had a brief managerial stint at Oldham but quit after just seven games in charge.
Most recently, he was seen playing in Soccer Aid, where he was unfortunately injured.
Michael Owen
Once England’s wonderkid, Owen now works as a pundit for BT Sport.
He also followed up his interest in horse racing by becoming a racehorse breeder.
Owen also released a book called Reboot: My life, my time.
Wayne Rooney
Rooney, who scored twice against Croatia, was the last member of the side to hang up his boots.
Following time spent in the MLS with DC United, Rooney sensationally made a return to England for a swansong at Championship side Derby.
He was the Rams boss after retiring from playing, but couldn’t save the club from relegation after being hindered by a points deduction.
Rooney now manages another former club in DC United.
Subs
Darius Vassell
Vassell never played for England again after missing the penalty against Portugal at Euro 2004.
The striker has gone off the radar after officially retiring in 2016.
After leaving Man City in 2009, he went to Turkish side Ankaragücü before ending his career at Leicester.
Phil Neville
Neville has enjoyed a varied coaching role after retiring from playing.
From caretaker boss of Salford, he was assistant to brother Gary at Valencia before taking the England Women’s manager role.
He joined Becks in America to become coach of Inter Miami, but was fired this season following a poor run.
He is also co-owner of Salford.
Ledley King
King remains a one-club man after injuries forced him to retire from football in 2012.
He is still employed by Tottenham, where he is a club ambassador.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
