Pretty much this.
Felt so much anticipation backin 2002 before the WC. Then he was injured and I thought he'd make the difference when he got back. Instead he was largely wasted, caught up in a political war with Lampard which would never have been a discussion if it had been based on the pitch. Struggled under the suffocating style with Sven.
It's been a fabulous career but you can't escape the feeling it's also been largely unfulfilled on the international stage.
Felt so much anticipation backin 2002 before the WC. Then he was injured and I thought he'd make the difference when he got back. Instead he was largely wasted, caught up in a political war with Lampard which would never have been a discussion if it had been based on the pitch. Struggled under the suffocating style with Sven.
It's been a fabulous career but you can't escape the feeling it's also been largely unfulfilled on the international stage.