But their failure to get beyond that stage in the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup is regarded as a wasted opportunity.
GARY NEVILLE won the lot with Manchester United - but claims there's one huge "disappointment" on the pitch he'll never get over.
Even more so because he was a coach under Roy Hodgson when the Three Lions flopped at Euro 2012 and the World Cup two years later.
Neville accepts that club rivalries - in particular with United and Liverpool - might have played a part in the Golden Generation, in the opinion of many, under-achieving.
Above all, England never quite worked out how to use their clutch of world class midfielders - or whether to drop some to ensure a better balance to the team.
