For England fans of a certain age, Euro 2004 remains one of the Three Lions’ most memorable tournaments of the modern era.
This was largely down to the performances of a teenage Wayne Rooney, who announced himself to an international audience with a string of fearless, breathtaking showings, as what would soon be dubbed the ‘golden generation’ began to dream of ending England’s long wait for a major trophy.
Joe Cole and Ashley Cole were both part of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad in Portugal for a campaign that ended in familiar fashion, as the Three Lions went out on penalties to the hosts in the quarter-finals.
Joe Cole and Ashley Cole on Euro 2004
For the two former team-mates, that summer remains a tantalising tournament defined by fine margains and can serve up lessons for England’s current generation.
For Joe Cole, the defining memory of Euro 2004 was Rooney’s emergence, as the then-Everton striker became the youngest player to score at a European Championship and looked capable of dragging his country deep into the tournament.
"The emergence of Wayne Rooney – he was amazing,” Joe recalls.
Ashley Cole’s first thought is not Rooney, but England’s blockbuster opening match of the tournament, when they were pitted against holders France, when Eriksson’s side were on course for a famous victory before a stoppage-time brace from the irressitable Zinedine Zidane turned the game on its head.
“Against France…,” is Ashley’s response, before Joe chrips in: “Zidane’s free-kick.”
“And penalty…,” Ashley continues, before Joe jokes that: “We ran into some decent teams!”
Despite the manner of England’s exit, Ashley realises how special it was to represent England at such a tournament.
“But it was still an amazing experience,” he continues. “We’re lucky that we’ve been around England setups – the hotels we went to were unbelievable. They give you every chance to win, but as Joe said, we played against some tough teams.
“Firstly an unbelievable French side. You go 1-0 up, the emergence of Rooney – it was only a matter of time before he burst on to the scene – but we couldn’t get it over the line. Then the next game, he gets injured? Or sent off?”
Joe “is there to correct his former team-mate before looking ahead: “No, in the quarter-final he got injured, didn’t he? It changed the game – one of those sliding doors moments.
“If England are going to win the World Cup this year, they’re going to need those moments to go for them – your best player who’s in the form of his life staying fit, or a referee deciding to give you something that could have gone against you.
“The margins are so small. People get a lot of criticism for not winning the World Cup, but it’s very difficult to do. There are some great teams who haven’t done it.”
Could It Be Coming Home? with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole is brought to you by Carling, official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. Watch the show on YouTube and Spotify, or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts
