Golden generation [ɡəʊl.dən d͡ʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən] n A particularly talented group of footballers who should dominate the sport for 10 years but inevitably disappoint instead, often going out of tournaments to the first good team they face.
Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after missing an extra-time penalty in Portugal's last-16 Euro 2024 fixture against Slovenia. The football icon stepped up to fire the ball towards the bottom right corner in the first half of extra time – but Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak produced a stunning save at full stretch to push it onto the post. The Portugal captain was in tears during the brief interval, having to be consoled by his team-mates before returning to the pitch for the final 15 minutes.
In the days leading up to England’s last-16 day of destiny with Slovakia, the question being asked inside the camp was not whether Jude Bellingham would play – that was never in doubt – but whether he could do all the things that were asked of him.