Rio Ferdinand once feared that the England team plane would crash during the flight home after the World Cup due to severe turbulence.

The former Manchester United star, who was England captain, was part of the squad that traveled to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. After England were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals, the entire team experienced a terrifying flight home.

Ferdinand revealed that stars like Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard cried and prayed when the plane encountered severe turbulence in bad weather.

Ferdinand said: "We had just been knocked out by Portugal in the quarter-finals, and the flight home was as bad as you can imagine. We hit terrible weather, and everyone thought the plane was going to crash. We were all crying."

"I was sitting near Rooney, Steven Gerrard and their wives, and everyone was screaming. The turbulence was like nothing I had ever experienced; it was completely out of control. People and luggage were being thrown around everywhere, and no one knew what was happening."

"To be honest, I thought it was all over, especially after I looked at the flight attendants. You can always tell how serious things are by their expressions. I looked at them, and they were all just sitting in their seats with blank faces, clearly thinking things were really bad too."

"I'm usually quite calm, but after seeing them, I was genuinely terrified."

Had that private plane actually crashed, the so-called "Golden Generation," including Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, John Terry and David Beckham, could all have died.

The players' families, including Coleen Rooney and Alex Curran (Gerrard's girlfriend at the time), also drew attention during their time with the squad. They were based in Baden-Baden.

Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, England had high hopes, but they were eliminated after a 0-0 draw with Portugal in the group stage, followed by a penalty shootout loss.

Ferdinand, who earned 81 caps for England, also suggested that former Chelsea midfielder Lampard's frequent bathroom trips were a reason why the Three Lions failed to achieve greater success, as it affected his sleep.

Ferdinand said: "When I was called up to the England squad, I often shared a room with Lampard.

"He doesn't snore, and there are no other issues; most of the time it's fine. But the only annoying thing is that he would go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and the noise was very loud. Loud enough to wake me up."

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