2007 mail online 2014 england team predication

A blast from the past!

According to a Mail Online article from 2007, the predicted England team for the 2014 World Cup was:

Goalkeepers:

• David James (then 39 years old)
• Ben Foster (then 26 years old)

Defenders:

• John Terry (then 28 years old)
• Rio Ferdinand (then 31 years old)
• Ashley Cole (then 29 years old)
• Glen Johnson (then 26 years old)
• Leighton Baines (then 26 years old)
• Joleon Lescott (then 27 years old)
• Phil Jagielka (then 27 years old)

Midfielders:

• Steven Gerrard (then 30 years old)
• Frank Lampard (then 32 years old)
• Paul Scholes (then 35 years old)
• David Beckham (then 35 years old)
• Gareth Barry (then 29 years old)
• Aaron Lennon (then 24 years old)
• Stewart Downing (then 26 years old)

Forwards:

• Wayne Rooney (then 24 years old)
• Michael Owen (then 30 years old)
• Emile Heskey (then 31 years old)
• Peter Crouch (then 30 years old)
• Jermain Defoe (then 30 years old)

Of course, this prediction was made over 7 years before the actual 2014 World Cup, and the team that eventually participated in the tournament looked very different. The actual squad was managed by Roy Hodgson and featured players like Joe Hart, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, and Raheem Sterling, among others.