Origins
It was first coined by the Portuguese sports media to refer to a group of exceptionally gifted teenage Portuguese footballers. This group of players, spearheaded by "Golden Boy" Luís Figo, won several Football World Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991. This group were close to retirement in the early part of the 21st century, leading the European sports media to spotlight the Golden Generation's chances of winning a senior trophy at tournaments like Euro 2000, World Cup 2002, Euro 2004 - which Portugal hosted, and World Cup 2006.
Since then, it has been used by media in many different countries, with usage spreading to other areas, for example, in rugby.
Read more about this topic: Golden Generation
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