At the time, England’s Golden Generation was a mythical squad that any player would have dreamt of being part of. Throughout the early-to-mid 2000s, that Three Lions side seemed destined to end a trophy drought that was closing in on four decades, with Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Paul Scholes among the world-class stars making up the squad.

Of course, hindsight tells us it all ended in bitter disappointment. The Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel eras have ultimately enjoyed far more success than the old guard ever managed. It probably wasn’t down to a lack of quality – that was there in abundance – but rather poor management, a lack of dressing-room unity and club rivalries reportedly taking centre stage when everyone should have been pulling in the same direction.

There was also one player tipped to shine at the 2002 World Cup who never got the chance because of off-field issues. Whether his absence would have changed England’s fortunes is anyone’s guess, but his journey from wonderkid to one of the biggest cautionary tales in English football history remains a story worth telling.

Former Tottenham Ace Who Failed To Make England’s Golden Generation

In 2000, ahead of that year’s European Championship, Jonathan Woodgate was forging a career that had all the early hallmarks of one that would have ensured his place among the greatest defenders of all time. Sure, John Terry, Sol Campbell, and Rio Ferdinand would have had something to say about that, but he had the quality to surpass them all.

Needless to say, after a brief stint at Newcastle, a move to Real Madrid in 2004 showed his vulnerabilities, as he endured one of the worst debuts in football history as he scored an own goal and received his marching orders at the Bernabeu. But perhaps his downfalls were borne from an incident four years earlier, which threw his international career into complete chaos and took a huge toll on his mental health.

In the buildup to the tournament, he was found guilty of affray following an attack on an Asian student outside of a nightclub in 2000. Just a few months after that court ruling, he was attacked, leading to a broken jaw that ruled him out for the rest of the season, adding to the woes of 100 hours of community service, and an investigation that lasted far longer than it needed to.

Because of the ruling, the centre-back missed three major international tournaments with England as he also suffered a thigh injury before Euro 2004, and he was only recalled to the squad in 2007, nearly four years later, but only ever managed eight international caps across his stop-start career.

How Woodgate Reflected on His Career Upon Returning to Boro For Final Time in 2012

After being found guilty of affray, the victim claimed he had been attacked because of his race. The judge in the case said he did not believe the attack had been racially motivated, but the furore surrounding the allegations has stayed with the player. “I was tarnished by that and have been all my career,” Woodgate reflected for Sky Sports in 2012.

Things didn’t work out much better for Woodgate at Newcastle under Sir Bobby Robson and that remained a source of frustration for the rest of his career. “We should have won a trophy, we were in the Champions League, and I was playing for one of the greatest managers of all time. It never worked out.

“We didn’t qualify for the Champions League the following year, and I was at fault for the goal in the qualifier against Partizan Belgrade and missed a penalty. When we got to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, four of us were ruled out of the second leg with injuries and we lost. It’s been the story of my career.”

The silver lining is that Woodgate transitioned into a coaching and management career after retiring as a player in 2016. He scouted for Liverpool, managed Middlesbrough, took Bournemouth to the Championship play-offs, and now serves as a first-team coach under Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Arsenal are plotting a move for a £100m-rated Premier League star after a deal to sign Morgan Rogers was hijacked by Chelsea, according to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs.

GMS sources revealed earlier this week that Arsenal were ready to ramp up their interest in the England international and present an opening bid to Aston Villa, but Chelsea have swooped in and agreed a £117m fee with their Premier League rivals to take the 23-year-old to Stamford Bridge.

Rogers is set to sign a six-year deal with the option of a further 12 months, with Gunners chiefs now needing to look for alternative attacking options.

The north London outfit have already agreed a deal to sign Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis, who will replace Besiktas-bound Leandro Trossard, after the 24-year-old had 51 goal involvements in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Belgian club last term.

However, Arteta still wants another high-profile attacker to come in to ensure that his squad is in the right place to try and win the double next season, as they look to go one step further in the Champions League and return to England with the trophy.

Arsenal Targeting Eli Junior Kroupi Move

via Reuters

According to Jacobs, posting on X about Rogers’ agreement to join Chelsea, Arsenal now have other attacking targets they could turn to in the aftermath of the disappointment of losing out on the England international.

While they have an appreciation for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, who could leave the Parc des Princes this summer as contract negotiations continue to stall, the Gunners also have other attacking targets, including Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi.

One separate report has claimed that Bournemouth will demand as much as £100m to sell the forward who had an outstanding breakthrough campaign in the Premier League.

The 20-year-old scored 13 goals in 33 English top flight appearances, netting all of those goals as a teenager.

Arsenal Plotting Chelsea Transfer Hijack

via Reuters

Chelsea may have completed a transfer hijack on Arsenal for Rogers, but the Gunners could return the favour if reports are to be believed.

The Blues are hoping to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix this summer after Rogers, but now their north London neighbours are considering making their own move for the Frenchman.

Arsenal looked to be well-stocked in the centre-back position but the worrying injury suffered by William Saliba at the 2026 World Cup could force a rethink and a need to dip into the market.

A France international with good Premier League experience means that Lacroix would arrive at the Emirates Stadium full of pedigree, but it remains to be seen if Arsenal make their interest more concrete in the coming weeks.

England’s players are being praised for a beautiful gesture after their victory over France in the 2026 World Cup third-place play off on Saturday evening.

The Three Lions’ quest to become world champions for the second time came to a heartbreaking end earlier this week when they were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the semi-finals. Despite that defeat, they were in action again on Saturday against France at Miami Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel fielded a weakened side for the match against Les Bleus, with star players Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane among the players that were dropped to the bench.

Despite not being at full strength, England outclassed their opponents in the first half as they led 4-0 at the break. France fought back in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to reduce the deficit to just one, but England stepped their foot on the gas once more and eventually prevailed 6-4.

England Players Praised For Class Gesture During Medal Ceremony

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

While England ultimately came up short in their bid for glory, their victory over France earned them their best finish at a World Cup since 1966.

England’s players were in good spirits as they collected their bronze medals after the match. During the medal ceremony, there was a beautiful moment as Jason Steele celebrated with the England squad.

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Steele was not named in England’s 26-man squad for the tournament but travelled with the team to play a part in training.

England’s players wanted to show their appreciation to the 35-year-old during the medal ceremony.

Jordan Henderson collected a spare bronze medal for Steele and then, alongside Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers, called on him to join them on stage. Steele obliged as they celebrated their bronze medal success together.

Thomas Tuchel Reflects on 2026 World Cup

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Tuchel gave an emotional interview after England’s victory against France as he spoke about the ‘pain’ that they were feeling. He said, per the Guardian:

“This game will help us for sure – even if you can never fully celebrate a bronze medal. It’s the first [World Cup] medal for 60 years, first [at a] World Cup on foreign soil, and I hope the players can be proud of that at some point.

“We set ourselves the highest dream to chase, and we were very, very ambitious with our dream to make the final in the World Cup. So it’s very, very painful if you miss out, the pain will stay for a while.”

He added: “We built something very special in the last seven weeks, and we’ll never negotiate on that. I still stand by my words, that we need to play better football, manage games better under pressure, take better decisions under pressure. We need to defend more economically.”

Tuchel has a contract until 2028 and is expected to remain in his position despite criticism from many following England’s defeat to Argentina.