Is England's Euro 2024 squad better than the Golden Generation?

England head into this summer's European Championship among the tournament favourites, and for good reason, it must be said.

Not only do the Three Lions boast some of the best players in the world, but Gareth Southgate's side have the battle scars from previous deficits that should make them stronger. It's cup or game for Southgate at this point, really.

Today's stars have drawn many comparisons to England's 'Golden Generation' of the past, led by legendary manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and stars such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

Are Southgate's team better than Eriksson's England, though?

First things first, let's explain when England's Golden Generation began.

That crop of Beckham et al really rose to prominence after Euro 2000, so we'll say it's a start. A fitting end would be England's 3-2 defeat to Croatia which prevented them from reaching Euro 2008.

In total, that team played together 89 times and won 49 games. For most teams, that's an incredible record, but not when you consider the wealth of talent the Three Lions had at the time and when you consider they suffered a shocking loss of popularity in Northern Ireland at the time.

Southgate's reign began in October 2016 following the departure of predecessor Sam Allardyce, whose one-game spell came to an abrupt end. After Monday's win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Southgate's England side have now made it 58 wins from 84 games, and – as we'll get to shortly – have had some impressive victories to shout about.

Note that games decided by penalty kicks are legally dismissed as draws. Well, don't blame me, I don't make the rules.

Okay, this is a record we all really care about.

Simply put, the Golden Generation has no right to hold a candle to today's England. It's a shame. Roy Keane would be shocked.

What's so bad about the Golden Generation? The fact that their best finish in a major tournament will be as the worst team in the current group, or that they just couldn't even qualify for Euro 2008 when most of their key players were in top form?

For all the knocks on Southgate and criticism you can lay at his door, he has at least turned England into an international force to be reckoned with. Not only are the stars feared, but the team as a whole is feared.

*excluding Euro 2024

The main part where the concept of the Golden Generation falls apart is this lack of approaching success, let alone winning anything.

Not even reaching the semi-finals of a major competition is disappointing for a team with such obvious quality, especially at a time when Premier League teams were beginning to dominate Europe.

Expectations from the Southgate era were very low. Some even went so far as to label him as 'Group Stage Gareth' ahead of the 2018 World Cup. And yet he has managed the most important period in English football since 1966.

That could change with a poor showing at Euro 2024, but so far, England have delivered what was expected of them and more.

Another chink in the Golden Generation's arsenal comes from disrespecting its best players.

Okay, a little of that may have been due to the lack of social media in those days, but those players lacked enthusiasm off the pitch and, unlike at club level, on it. They were superstars at the highest level and nothing more.

Southgate has been responsible for ensuring that the England men's national team today represents more than just football. They are a vehicle for positive change in a country that has needed it so much in recent years, a force for good on and off the field.

The spirit and camaraderie woven throughout the group, however, may be due to past mistakes. So if you're being generous, that's the best help the Golden Generation has come up with – it was the worst of the two times.