For other people named Michael Owen, see Michael Owen ( disambiguation )
english football player

Michael James Owen ( natural 14 December 1979 ) is an english former football player who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, american samoa well as for the England national team. Since retiring from football in 2013, he has become a racehorse breeder and owner and regularly features as a sports initiate and commentator. [ 3 ] The son of former football player Terry Owen, Owen was born in Chester and began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. Displaying rapid pace and composed coating, he progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his Premier League introduction in May 1997, becoming the club ‘s youngest goalscorer. [ 4 ] In his beginning full moon season in the Premier League, Owen finished as joint top scorer with 18 goals, sharing the Premier League Golden Boot. He repeated this the take after year and was Liverpool ‘s top goal-scorer from 1997 to 2004, gaining his name as a test goal-scorer despite suffering from a recurring hamstring injury. In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup ( with Owen scoring two late goals in the final ) and Football League Cup, and Owen was the recipient role of the Ballon d’Or. He went on to score 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool, and 158 goals in 297 total appearances. Regarded as one of the greatest liverpool players, Owen came 14th in the “ 100 Players Who Shook The Kop “, an official Liverpool sports fan poll. [ 5 ] In 2004, Owen was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the global ‘s greatest be players. [ 6 ] After Liverpool had fallen behind their entitle rivals under Gérard Houllier ‘s final two seasons, Owen opted not to renew his contract and then moved to Real Madrid for £8 million in the summer of 2004. There he was frequently used as a substitute. He scored 13 goals in La Liga before returning to England the succeed season where he joined Newcastle United for £16.8 million. This was after Owen ‘s disappointment that Real had rejected a wish from Liverpool to re-sign him. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] After a promise start to the 2005–06 temper, injuries largely ruled him out over the next 18 months. After his hark back, he became team captain and was the team ‘s clear scorekeeper for the 2007–08 season. Newcastle were relegated in the 2008–09 temper and, in a surprise affect, Owen moved to Manchester United as a free agent. He spent three years at Old Trafford before joining Stoke City in September 2012. Owen is one of nine players to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. [ 9 ] He is besides the youngest player to have reached 100 goals in the Premier League. [ 10 ] On 19 March 2013, Owen announced his retirement from playing at the end of the 2012–13 season. internationally, Owen first played for the elder England team in 1998, becoming England ‘s youngest musician and youngest goalscorer at the time. His performance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which included a finish against Argentina in which he ran from the halfway tune, brought him to national and international bulge, making him one of the most seek after players in world football. [ 4 ] He went on to score in UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. He is the only player to have scored in four back-to-back major tournaments for England. He played at the 2006 World Cup, but suffered an injury which took him a class to recover from. occasionally playing as captain, he is England ‘s 11th-most-capped player and has scored a former national commemorate ( since overtaken by Wayne Rooney ) of 26 competitive goals, with 40 in sum from 89 appearances, most recently in 2008. [ 11 ]

early life [edit ]

Owen was born in Chester, Cheshire, the fourthly child of Jeanette and Terry Owen. [ 12 ] His don is a former professional football player and played for clubs such as Chester City and Everton. Owen was introduced to football at the old age of seven by his father who soon saw Michael as the most promise athlete in the kin. [ 12 ] A boyhood Everton sports fan, [ 13 ] Owen attended Rector Drew Primary School in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales and by the long time of ten, some of the nation ‘s lead scouts were monitoring his progress. [ 14 ] At eight, Owen was selected for the Deeside Area Primary School ‘s Under-11 team. At nine, he was master and at ten he had smashed Ian Rush ‘s 20-year record for the same team by scoring 97 goals in a single season, improving on Rush ‘s record by 25 goals. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Owen besides broke Gary Speed ‘s appearance record having played in all three seasons for the 11-year-olds since he was eight. [ 16 ] Owen turned out for the youth team of Mold Alexandra, [ 12 ] playing with the under-10s at the senesce of eight after a local physical education teacher, Howard Roberts, persuaded the league to allow an under-age player. [ 12 ] Owen scored on his debut for Mold Alexandra, [ 15 ] a 2–0 victory over local rivals Bagillt. [ 15 ] He went on to score 34 goals in 24 games in his inaugural season with Mold Alexandra. [ 17 ] After leaving Deeside, Owen attended Hawarden High School, where he besides played for the school team. [ 14 ]

Club career [edit ]

liverpool [edit ]

owen warming up for Liverpool at Anfield before Jamie Carragher ’ s Testimonial Match in 2010 At age 12, when Owen started attending secondary school, he became eligible to sign a schoolboy sign with a clubhouse. The first major cabaret to spot him playing for Deeside was Liverpool. Brian Kidd came devour from Manchester United and there was besides interest from Chelsea and Arsenal. But Steve Heighway, the Liverpool young person development officeholder, wrote to Owen personally. Terry Owen stated : “ [ Heighway ] wrote us a smash letter and it was love at first view for Michael, he was impress from day one. ” [ 16 ] Owen subsequently signed with the Liverpool young team. The cabaret then persuaded Owen to attend the FA ‘s School of Excellence at Lilleshall in Shropshire at age 14. Owen was soon playing for England teams from under-15 upwards, breaking several score records with 28 goals in 20 games for the England u-15s and u-16s. [ 16 ] Owen besides scored prolifically as he rose quickly through the Anfield youth ranks. [ 18 ] Throughout this time, Owen had continued his studies and achieved ten GCSEs. [ 19 ] Despite the academic success, [ 19 ] Owen was diamond his future was a professional football career with Liverpool. [ 19 ] In the 1995–96 temper, Owen played for Liverpool ‘s youth team even though he was silent at Lilleshall. Most of the players were 18, but Owen was lone 16. [ 16 ] He scored a hat-trick against FA Youth Cup holders Manchester United in the quarter-finals, scoring the winner in extra time. [ 16 ] Owen subsequently scored another hat-trick in a 4–2 succeed in the first branch of the semifinal against Crystal Palace. Liverpool were 3–0 devour after only 50 minutes in the second leg, [ 16 ] but with Owen taking master of the catch and scoring doubly, the team ran out as 7–5 winners. [ 16 ] Liverpool faced West Ham United in the concluding, played over two legs a well. West Ham had not lost in 24 straight games, [ 16 ] and had future England stars Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard. [ 16 ] Owen missed the first leg at Upton Park as he was on enlistment duty with the England under-16 team in the European youth backing in Austria. [ 16 ] He returned for the second-leg where Liverpool had fallen behind early but Owen equalised with his eleventh goal in five cup matches and Liverpool won the match 2–1. [ 16 ] It was the first fourth dimension Liverpool had won the FA Youth Cup in the golf club ‘s history and Owen was wide considered the star topology of the FA Cup campaign. [ 16 ] [ 18 ]
Owen celebrated his seventeenth birthday by signing a professional sign with Liverpool. He was handed a invest in Roy Evans ‘ senior squad, with Steve Heighway stating that, “ [ Owen ] is ready for whatever you throw at him ; nothing fazes Michael Owen. He ‘s ready. If the director wants a recommendation from me, Michael gets it. ” [ 20 ] Owen besides declared his calculate was “ a first-team station in the next year or therefore ”. [ 16 ] Karl-Heinz Riedle, who anterior to joining Liverpool in the summer of 1997 had never heard of Owen, declared, “ It ‘s incredible when you see him play to realise that he ‘s only 17, ” he said. “ He ‘s such a good musician, so very quick and for his historic period he has excellent sight and awareness. He ‘s a great player already and in one or two years he will become a very big musician. ” [ 16 ] Owen was rated as “ the best attacker of his age in the state ” in January 1997. [ 20 ] Ted Powell, the championship-winning coach of the England under-18 side, declared Owen to be the best of a generation of young players that included Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Robbie Fowler. [ 21 ] On 6 May 1997, Owen scored on his Liverpool debut against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. [ 22 ] Liverpool were league entitle challengers to Manchester United but their failure to beat Wimbledon in the penult game of the league season handed the backing to United. The Liverpool Echo wrote, “ [ lone ] Michael Owen could emerge with any credit from a performance that mocked Anfield ‘s fat traditions. ” [ 22 ] Owen, who had come on as a alternate in the second half, “ [ breathed ] newfangled life into the Reds ‘ backing cadaver, ” and “ began [ Liverpool ‘s ] best spell of the night ”, [ 22 ] but was ultimately not able to salvage a win. [ 22 ] The Liverpool Echo stated, “ It was a debut marked in the deluxe manner. ” [ 22 ] Owen replaced the hurt Robbie Fowler as Liverpool ‘s first base option striker in 1997–98. He won the Premier League Golden Boot and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Owen besides finished in third base station in the PFA Player of the year vote behind Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams. [ 23 ] Owen recorded many personal feats during the season and helped Liverpool challenge for the league backing, but ultimately a run of bad form in February saw the club bowing out of the title race. [ 24 ] The Liverpool Echo wrote that, “ [ Owen ] has become Liverpool ‘s most valued performer and, quite merely, their jesus. ” [ 24 ] Owen signed a five-year shrink with Liverpool worth £2.5 million during the season. [ 16 ] His £10,000-a-week consider made him the highest-paid adolescent in the history of british football. [ 16 ] Owen was runner-up to Zinedine Zidane in the World Player of the Year award, besides finishing in one-fourth status in the FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year international awards. Owen retained the Premier League Golden Boot in 1998–99 despite incurring a hamstring injury against Leeds United that prematurely brought his season to an end on 12 April. With his pace identified as his greatest military capability, Liverpool ‘s game had revolved around feeding him with through passes and retentive balls. Owen constantly moved from static positions to broad accelerate in a count of cleave seconds. ESPN wrote, “ It [ would ] finally [ prove ] besides much for [ Owen ‘s ] hamstring to handle. [ 17 ] Liverpool failed to challenge for the league title that temper despite Owen ‘s brilliant form. The golf club had appointed a raw director in Gérard Houllier and were transitioning out of the Spice Boys earned run average. Owen ended the 1998–99 season as runner-up to Nicolas Anelka in the PFA Young Player of the Year award. [ 25 ] Owen returned to action after about five months of layoff during the 1999–2000 temper. [ 16 ] He played intermittently throughout the season and ended up ceding the Golden Boot to Kevin Phillips. [ 26 ] He had completed merely six full games by January and, during a thwart spell punctuated by recurring breakdowns, [ 26 ] had managed to stay the 90 minutes lone three times since mid-october. Owen injured his hamstring once again while playing against Middlesbrough in January. He remained out of action for well over a month and by and by received treatment from german doctor of the church Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. [ 27 ] The dogged hamstring problems ended up robbing Liverpool of Owen for a third of a season in which a miss of goals finally cost them a position in the Champions League. [ 27 ]
Owen helped Liverpool to a soprano in 2000–01, as the team won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup to end a six-year trophy drought. [ 28 ] Owen was the recipient of the European Player of the Year award in recognition of his performances that season. [ 29 ] He became the foremost English winner of the European Footballer of the Year award since Kevin Keegan was given the honor in 1979. Owen scored both Liverpool goals recently in the 2001 FA Cup Final to turn around what had appeared to be a certain defeat for Liverpool at the hands of Arsenal. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] Liverpool and Owen challenged for the league championship during the 2001–02 season. [ 32 ] [ 33 ] The team finally finished runner-up to Arsenal, with Owen playing a key character in the campaign. [ 32 ] On 29 December 2001, Owen scored his hundredth finish for Liverpool during the season against West Ham United. [ 34 ] He besides led them to success in the Charity Shield and the UEFA Super Cup during the starting signal of the season in 2001. Liverpool therefore became the first English team to win five trophies in one calendar class. [ 16 ] Owen signed a four-year shrink worth £70,000-a-week with Liverpool during the season, making him one of the highest earners in the English Premiership. [ 35 ] substantial Madrid president Florentino Pérez started ampere early as in March 2002 to pursue Owen. [ 16 ] Pérez declared his intentions to make Owen the future Galáctico, stating that “ the best players must play for actual Madrid ”. [ 16 ] Liverpool coach Gérard Houllier laughed off any apparent concern, saying, “ They might be able to afford Ronaldo but they can not afford Michael Owen. For that kind of money they could lone buy his left foot but he is not going anywhere. Michael is Liverpool through and through and he is staying with me. ” [ 16 ] Owen continued with strong performances in the 2002–03 temper which saw Liverpool top the league table and remain unbeaten for several months. [ 36 ] [ 37 ] however, a run of black results starting from November and culminate in January saw the team bow out of the title rush. Chelsea pipped Liverpool to the one-fourth and final Champions League spot on the final day of the season. [ 38 ] [ 39 ] Owen was besides controversially overlooked for the PFA Player of the Year award during the season. [ 37 ] He had continued establishing personal records with Liverpool and had scored his 100th Premier League goal on 26 April against West Bromwich Albion. [ 40 ] Success in the League Cup besides meant that Liverpool had ended up with a trophy for a one-third consecutive season. Owen had scored in the League Cup Final against Manchester United to clinch the trophy for Liverpool. [ 16 ] Liverpool ‘s failure to qualify for the Champions League led to speculation about Owen ‘s long-run future. [ 41 ] Transfer speculation had continued linking him to Real Madrid and Barcelona. [ 42 ] [ 43 ] Owen was quoted as saying, “ I very have to be playing in the Champions League and that is something [ Liverpool ] have to remedy. ” [ 44 ] Owen would late refute the quote, submit, “ Some of the words I never even said and the rest were taken wholly out of context. ” [ 45 ] Houllier moved to re-shape the Liverpool team in 2003 to reassure Owen. [ 41 ] He stated, “ We want to win the title. This is our imagination at Liverpool – and we want to win it with Michael in our team. ” Michael is a genuine first actor. He has had a great season and I think he will be even better future temper. ” [ 41 ] Bolton Wanderers coach Sam Allardyce was quoted as saying, “ Stop Michael Owen score and you are 50 per penny towards getting a result at Anfield, ” while Owen had admitted to being frustrated at the miss of support play from his teammates. [ 46 ] [ 47 ] After a precarious start to the 2003–04 season, [ 48 ] Liverpool emerged as entitle contenders once more, with Owen leading the tear. [ 48 ] Owen, however, would suffer an ankle injury while playing against Arsenal on 3 October and consequently went through “ three months of injury nightmare ”. [ 49 ] Owen merely played intermittently over the adopt months, suffering from niggling ankle and hamstring injuries, while Liverpool ‘s temper fell aside. [ 49 ] After a goal drought lasting nine games and three months, Owen returned to seaworthiness and scoring form with a finish against Manchester City on 11 February. [ 50 ] Owen helped reignite Liverpool ‘s hunt for one-fourth touch, [ 51 ] scoring his hundred-and-fiftieth goal for Liverpool in the subsequent equal against Portsmouth on 15 February, [ 52 ] and although suffering from far injuries, [ 53 ] ultimately led Liverpool to the fourth and final examination Champions League point. [ 54 ] [ 55 ] Following Gérard Houllier ‘s dismissal as Liverpool coach, meditation about Owen ‘s departure from the club began. During the beginning few Champions League games at the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Owen sat on the workbench to avoid being cup-tied for the Champions League, something that would have meant he would be unable to play in european competitions for any early club that season. Since 1998, Owen had been Liverpool ‘s top scorekeeper every season until he left the club. [ 56 ] Real Madrid signed him for a fee of £8 million on 13 August 2004, with midfielder Antonio Núñez moving in the other direction as a make-weight. [ 57 ]

real Madrid [edit ]

Owen at a train camp with Real Madrid Following their successful bid, Owen was presented with the number 11 shirt by veridical Madrid. Owen joined the club during its Galácticos earned run average, and played aboard Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, Luís Figo, Zinedine Zidane and his England teammate David Beckham. Owen had a dense start to his Madrid career. He was often confined to the bench and drew criticism from fans and the spanish press for his miss of form. A successful revert to action with the England police squad in October 2004 seemed to revive his morale, however, and in the beginning follow match, he scored his first gear goal for the club, the winner in a 1–0 Champions League victory over Dynamo Kyiv. [ 58 ] A few days belated, he scored his first base La Liga goal in a 1–0 victory over Valencia. [ 59 ] The score spree continued, as he found the binding of the net in three of the following four matches to make it five goals in seven consecutive matches. On 10 April 2005, Owen scored Real Madrid ‘s fourthly goal in a 4–2 El Clásico acquire over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. [ 60 ] Owen ended the 2004–05 season with 13 goals in La Liga, with the season ‘s highest proportion of goals scored to number of minutes played. Following Madrid ‘s sign of two high-profile brazilian forwards, Robinho and Júlio Baptista, in the summer of 2005, the speculation arose that Owen would return to the Premier League. During his meter at Real Madrid, Owen scored 16 goals from 45 games, 26 of which were starts. [ 61 ]

newcastle United [edit ]

On 24 August 2005, Newcastle United announced that they had agreed to a club record fee [ 62 ] of £16.8 million to obtain Owen, although they inactive had to negotiate with the actor ‘s advisers. Liverpool and local rivals Everton entered the fray, but were unwilling to match Madrid ‘s ask price. As the 2006 World Cup was less than a year away, Owen wanted to get more play time to secure his placement as the first-choice striker in the England police squad and joined Newcastle amid rumours that he had inserted an escape article valued at £12 million. [ 63 ] On 31 August 2005, Owen signed a four-year contract to play for Newcastle, despite initial bid speculation that he would preferably have returned to Liverpool. [ 64 ] Some 20,000 fans were present at Newcastle ‘s home ground of St James ‘ Park for Owen ‘s official unveil as a Newcastle player. [ 65 ] [ 66 ] Several days after sign, he suffered a thigh-injury in pre-season, which ruled him out for the start of the 2005–06 season. He scored his first goal for the club on his second appearance, the second base goal in a 3–0 away win at Blackburn Rovers on 18 September, Newcastle ‘s first acquire of the temper. Owen scored his first hat-trick for Newcastle in the 4–2 away win over West Ham United on 17 December. [ 67 ] It was besides a “ perfect hat trick “, with one goal scored with each of his leave animal foot, right foot and capitulum. On 31 December 2005, Owen broke a metatarsal bone in his foot in a match against Tottenham Hotspur. He undergo operation to place a pin in the bone, to help speed the mend procedure. He was expected to be out of action until former March, [ 68 ] but the heal process did not go as hope and on 24 March he underwent a second, minor operation. Owen then stated that he should be fit for the final few weeks of the season with Newcastle. [ 69 ] His refund to action finally came against Birmingham City on 29 April when he came off the substitutes ‘ terrace in the 62nd hour. After the match, Owen stated that he was “ not 100 % happy ” with his foot. [ 70 ] He underwent a far x-ray and made himself unavailable for Newcastle ‘s final game of the season. A damaged anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) in his right stifle, sustained in the beginning hour of the group match against Sweden at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, kept Owen out of regular football for closely a year, until April 2007. The seriousness of Owen ‘s injury at the World Cup inflamed the alleged “ club-versus-country ” row in England, centring on the liability of the world governing soundbox FIFA and The Football Association ( FA ) for the cost of injuries to players incurred while on international duty. [ 71 ] Newcastle were aggrieved at the length of meter Owen would now be out of action in forthcoming Premier League and Cup competitions as a result of the World Cup injury, particularly as he had been out for the half-season anterior to the World Cup. Under the existing policy arrangements between golf club and country, FIFA and the FA had been paying £50,000 of Owen ‘s £110,000 weekly wages since he suffered the injury, totalling approximately £2 million for the time he was out of action. [ 72 ] By September 2006, Newcastle were threatening to sue the FA for far compensation, for a report digit of £20 million. [ 73 ] The Owen case was a high-profile follow-up to an already ongoing legal claim for recompense from FIFA over an injury incurred by Abdelmajid Oulmers on international duty. [ 71 ] Newcastle ‘s compensation claim included the £10 million cost of buying Owen ‘s replacement, Obafemi Martins, £6.2 million towards Owen ‘s wage costs while hurt, the possibility of long-run damage to Owen ‘s fitness and ability, the loss of league position and cup rival progress, disparagement of Owen ‘s four-year contract, and the monetary value of medical treatment for Owen. [ 72 ] [ 74 ] In February 2007, FIFA made Newcastle a “ final examination offer ” of £1 million. [ 74 ] By April 2007, Newcastle were threatening to take out an injunction to stop the FA from picking Owen for England games. [ 75 ] The club last reached a compromise village calculate with FIFA and the FA ; FIFA indicated that the settlement was between £6 million and £7 million. The cabaret, stating that Owen ‘s wages had “ now been paid in full ”, stated the overall compensation achieved total £10 million. [ 72 ] Resulting from the Owen recompense claim, the FA doubled their future indemnity coverage of England players to £100,000, and FIFA introduced a compensation fund for injuries sustained at World Cups. [ 71 ]
Owen education with Newcastle in 2007 Owen began unaccented training on 12 February 2007, when pictures on the club ‘s official web site highlighted Owen running and carrying out minor exercises. [ 76 ] He made his comeback from injury on 10 April 2007 in a 4–1 behind-closed-doors friendly against Gretna, scoring after ten minutes and then setting up colleague striker Shola Ameobi before coming off an hour late. [ 77 ] Owen then started his first game for Newcastle in over a year, a 1–0 loss against Reading on 30 April 2007. He played the full 90 minutes, having a goal disallowed for offside. [ 78 ] Owen was stretchered off an hour into Newcastle ‘s plot with Watford on 13 May 2007, suffering concussion after colliding with teammate Matty Pattison. [ 79 ] On 9 May 2007, Newcastle chair Freddy Shepherd reacted angrily to reports that Owen could move on to another baseball club at the end of the 2006–07 season due to a release clause in his compress. A report in The Times newspaper suggested Owen could be available for less than £10 million and could be a target for the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Despite these reports, Shepherd warned Owen “ to show some loyalty ” and warned him that “ none of the adult four clubs want him ”. [ 80 ] In a video recording posted on YouTube, however, a group of Liverpool fans asked Shepherd if they could re-sign Owen, he responded by saying that he would “ carry Owen back to Liverpool ” himself. [ 81 ] Shepherd besides stated his disfavor of Owen ‘s agent but praise Owen as a “ good cub ”. [ 82 ] This led many to believe that Owen would exercise his right to leave if the £9 million valuation was matched. [ 81 ] On 10 June 2007, Owen ‘s newly coach at Newcastle, Sam Allardyce, confirmed the being of the spill article in Owen ‘s condense and said he feared that the clubhouse would be powerless to prevent Owen from leaving. [ 83 ] On 12 July 2007, however, Owen committed his immediate future to Newcastle, submit, “ I believe that these can be effective times to be at Newcastle, which is why I am more than glad to be here. ” [ 84 ] On 17 July 2007, he scored for Newcastle in a pre-season friendly against Hartlepool United. [ 85 ] Several days belated, Owen picked up a second joint injury in education. [ 86 ] Newcastle director Sam Allardyce said that Owen was likely to miss the begin of the forthcoming Premier League season due to the injury which “ does n’t look ampere encourage as we foremost thought ”. [ 87 ] Owen made his rejoinder from injury in a golf club friendly on 13 August 2007 and declared himself available for Newcastle ‘s following match, against Aston Villa, adenine well as England ‘s extroverted external matches. [ 88 ] On 29 August 2007, Owen scored his first base competitive goal for Newcastle since December 2005 when he scored in the League Cup against Barnsley. [ 89 ] Three days later, he scored in the league with a belated winner against Wigan Athletic. [ 90 ] In recently September 2007, after an encourage start to the season play for both Newcastle and England, it was reported that he would urgently require an operation for a bivalent hernia and would probable be out of military action for at least a month. [ 91 ] In his first couple back from the hernia operation, he scored a late goal coming off the substitutes bench to clinch victory for Newcastle over Everton. [ 92 ] In November 2007, Owen suffered a thigh puree while on international duty, ruling him out for six weeks. This reignited the “ baseball club or country ” row, with then Newcastle coach Sam Allardyce voicing his disappointment that Owen was risked in a low-key friendly game against Austria. [ 93 ] After over three months without a finish, Owen scored the first goal of the moment Kevin Keegan era in a 4–1 FA Cup third round replay win over Stoke City on 16 January 2008, although Keegan was only a spectator in the stands for this game. Owen was awarded the captainship by Keegan on 19 January 2008. He scored his first league goal of 2008 on 3 February. Owen ‘s goal in the 2–0 get the better of of Fulham on 22 March 2008, which marked Newcastle ‘s first win under Keegan ‘s second spell as director, besides marked the first time in his Newcastle career that Owen had scored more goals for Newcastle than against them. [ 94 ] By 5 April 2008, after his and the team ‘s early season inadequate phase, Owen had scored six goals in the former six matches, with Newcastle registering four wins and two draws, lifting Newcastle into mid-table after earlier relegation fears. In the final game of the season, Owen scored in a 3–1 passing at Everton, finishing with 11 goals in total, putting him in peer 13th stead for Premier League goals for the 2007–08 season. Owen missed all of the pre-season matches and prepare of the 2008–09 season due to a turn of mumps, which besides kept him out of the external friendlies with the USA and Trinidad and Tobago in May 2008. He besides suffered a calf song during the summer months which kept him out of the open game of the temper against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a crippled which Newcastle drew 1–1. He made his return in the second base crippled of the season against Bolton Wanderers on 23 August 2008, coming on in the 53rd minute for the hurt Obafemi Martins. He scored the winning heading in the 71st moment, with the game finishing 1–0. Three days late, he was named on the bench in a League Cup match away to Coventry City, he came on as a alternate and scored the winner in supernumerary time in a 2–3 victory. In the 2008–09 season, he featured more systematically than in prior seasons, scoring four goals in twelve league appearances. Under the transfer rules, with the 2008–09 season being the final year of his compress with Newcastle, Owen would have been allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with other clubs during January. On 22 December 2008, Owen rejected a newfangled contract offer from Newcastle, but stated that he would not be seeking a move in the January transfer window and rather intended to postpone talks over his condense position until the end of the season. [ 95 ] [ 96 ] With guess over his future continuing in the second half of the season, Owen received “ substantial damages ” in June in the high Court in London and a public apology following a floor on 15 May in the Daily Express alleging that due to a lack of interest from Premier League clubs, Owen ‘s career was effectively finished and he intended to retire. [ 97 ] [ 98 ] After a black season in general for the baseball club, which culminated in Owen ‘s former Newcastle and England teammate Alan Shearer being brought in as a irregular director for the final eight games of the season, on the final examination day of the season on 24 May 2009, Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League for the first gear time in 15 years. On 14 June, it was reported that Owen ‘s management company Wasserman Media Group had sent out a 34-page booklet advertising Owen to several potential clubs. [ 99 ] On 22 June, Owen confirmed he would not be re-signing for Newcastle, in preference for a travel to a Premier League club, or another top-flight alien club. [ 96 ] It was reported that Owen would not begin negotiations with any other club until after 30 June when, on death of his sign, he would become eligible for a free transmit. [ 96 ] In September 2019, Owen stated that he regretted his be active to Newcastle. “ I did n’t want to go there – my center was set on a fall to Liverpool. ” [ 100 ]

manchester United [edit ]

Debut season [edit ]

(wearing No.7) at his Manchester United début, against Owenat his Manchester United début, against Birmingham City on 16 August 2009. On 3 July 2009, it was announced that Owen had signed a biennial cope with Manchester United, arch rivals of Liverpool. [ 101 ] A surprise motion, Owen said that the approach from coach Alex Ferguson was “ out of the blue ”. He signed a pay-as-you-play deal [ 101 ] and was handed the number 7 shirt vacated by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. The shirt had previously been worn by many of United ‘s other illustrious players over the years, including Johnny Berry, George Best, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. [ 102 ] owen scored his first finish for United on his introduction, scoring an 84th-minute winner after coming on as a substitute in a pre-season friendly against a malaysian eleven ; [ 103 ] he followed this up by scoring three more goals in United ‘s pre-season games. [ 104 ] [ 105 ] Owen made his league debut for United when he came on as a substitute against Birmingham City on 16 August in a 1–0 winnings, [ 106 ] and scored his first competitive goal in a Manchester United shirt against Wigan Athletic on 22 August in a 5–0 away gain. [ 107 ] On 20 September, Owen scored his first finish at Old Trafford, in the one-sixth hour of blockage time against local rivals Manchester City to give United a 4–3 bowler hat win. This entail that Owen had now scored in his fourth bowler hat, after scoring in the Merseyside bowler hat, El Clásico and the Tyne–Wear bowler hat in previous years. [ 108 ] Owen struggled to recall the moments immediately after the finish, and said that it ranked as one of his most crucial. [ 109 ] On 27 October, Owen scored a finish in the 2–0 off win against Barnsley to qualify United past the fourth round of golf of the League Cup. On 3 November, Owen scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United, as he grabbed United ‘s first gear in the 3–3 draw against CSKA Moscow. [ 110 ] Owen ‘s apparently slender chances of earning a station in Fabio Capello ‘s England team for the 2010 World Cup finals in 2010 received a boost when on 8 December 2009, Owen scored his inaugural hat-trick for Manchester United in a 3–1 aside win against VfL Wolfsburg in the Champions League, his first gear hat-trick since 2005. [ 111 ] On 28 February 2010, Owen scored United ‘s first goal in their 2–1 victory over Aston Villa in the 2010 League Cup final, but had to be substituted after pulling up on 42 minutes. originally thought to be a minor injury, on 5 March it was announced Owen required operation on his hamstring, ruling him out for the rest of the season. [ 112 ]
(right) playing for Manchester United, with Everton’s Owenplaying for Manchester United, with Everton ‘s John Heitinga owen scored his first goal for United rear from wound in a 7–1 pre-season victory against a League of Ireland XI on 4 August 2010 at the newly built Aviva Stadium. [ 113 ] On 22 September 2010, Owen scored twice during a 5–2 away win over Scunthorpe United in the one-third rung of the League Cup, his first base goals of the season. [ 114 ] Four days later, Owen scored his first league goal of the season, United ‘s second counterweight with his beginning touch in a 2–2 away draw against Bolton Wanderers. [ 115 ] Owen ‘s first goal of 2011 came in United ‘s 2–1 FA Cup victory over Southampton at St Mary ‘s stadium on 29 January. [ 116 ] On 25 February, United director Alex Ferguson said that Owen was a key part of his squad for the perch of the season. however, he suffered a groin injury and missed his team ‘s next four games. His return couple was on 19 March when he returned to the bench for United ‘s game against Bolton. By the time of United ‘s penult game of the temper, he had reached the number of league appearances required for a deed achiever ‘s decoration – his first in 15 seasons as a professional. [ 117 ] The game, on 14 May 2011, only required United to draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park to win the title, and a 1–1 pull secured it for them. Owen was an unused ersatz in the game. [ 118 ] Owen scored United ‘s final goal in their last league game of the season, at home to Blackpool, in which the Red Devils won 4–2. [ 119 ]

Read more: David Prowse

Owen was an unused stand-in in Man United ‘s Champions League final examination get the better of to Barcelona, marking the end of his season. He signed a annual reference to his narrow on 1 June 2011. [ 120 ]
Owen started his first game of the season in the third round of the League Cup against Leeds United. He scored two goals in the first one-half, helping United to progress to the fourth round with a 3–0 succeed. His beginning goal came after he advanced to the box and scuffed a shot into the corner of the net. The second goal came on the half-hour grade, when he met Mame Biram Diouf ‘s cross with clamant control, before firing a right animal foot shoot into the top. [ 121 ] Owen started his moment game of the season in the fourth round of the League Cup, against League Two club Aldershot Town. He scored the second goal of the 3–0 winnings. Dimitar Berbatov completed a run down the right flank before pulling the ball back into the box, with Owen scoring past Ross Worner. [ 122 ] Owen started in United ‘s home Champions League group stage peer against Oțelul Galați on 2 November, however he was substituted early in the beginning half when he pulled up with a thigh injury ; this was his last appearance for the team. In February 2012, Owen started light training with the Manchester United team. From April 2012, Owen started full train but was not however fix for first team games. On 13 May 2012, Owen was named as a ersatz against Sunderland in United ‘s final examination regular, but he was not brought on. On 17 May 2012, Owen announced on Twitter that Manchester United would not be offering him a new cover, ending his three-year association with the club .

Stoke City [edit ]

Owen playing for Stoke City in a Premier League meet on 22 September 2012 against Chelsea On 4 September 2012, Owen joined Stoke City on a annual contract. [ 123 ] He was handed the phone number 10 shirt from the asleep Ricardo Fuller and made his introduction in a 1–1 draw against Manchester City on 15 September. [ 124 ] The begin to his fourth dimension at Stoke was hampered by a hamstring wound. [ 125 ] Owen scored his first gear and only finish for Stoke on 19 January 2013 in a 3–1 frustration at Swansea City, his first goal since 25 October 2011. In doing indeed, he became only the seventh player to reach 150 Premier League goals. [ 126 ] On 19 March 2013, Owen announced that he would retire from playing at the end of the 2012–13 season. [ 127 ] He was restricted to good eight Premier League appearances for Stoke, all coming from the substitutes bench, including in his concluding appearance on 19 May 2013 against Southampton, where he received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. [ 128 ] [ 129 ]

International career [edit ]

Owen was capped 89 times for England and scored 40 goals. He is sixth in the list of all-time top scorers for the England team, behind Wayne Rooney ( 53 ), Bobby Charlton ( 49 ), Gary Lineker ( 48 ), Harry Kane ( 48 ) and Jimmy Greaves ( 44 ). He is besides England ‘s second-highest goalscorer in competitive international matches, behind Rooney. [ 130 ] His 89 caps besides place him as England ‘s eleventh most capped player. Owen played for England at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups and the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships. He scored goals in all but one of these tournaments, making him the only player always to have scored in four major tournaments for England. [ 131 ]

emergence [edit ]

Owen had a highly successful phonograph record at Youth level, playing for the England under-20 team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and scoring three goals in four games. He played once for the England under-21 team, scoring in a succeed over Greece at Carrow Road. He made his debut for the England elder team in a 2–0 friendly loss to Chile on 11 February 1998. This made Owen the youngest player to represent England in the twentieth hundred at 18 years and 59 days of long time. [ 132 ] Owen ‘s youthful exuberance, pace and talent made him a popular actor across the country, [ 133 ] and many fans were cutting for him to be selected for the 1998 World Cup in France. In a pre-World Cup friendly against Morocco, Owen scored his foremost finish for England. [ 134 ] The goal besides made him the youngest ever actor to have scored for England, [ 135 ] until his record was surpassed by Wayne Rooney in 2003 .

“ He is in the top four of our greatest finishers, along with Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. Some might say he is at the top of that number. He was a baby-faced assassin. His finish was amazing for a young man. ”

Glenn Hoddle [ 136 ]

1998 World Cup [edit ]

Owen was selected for the World Cup squad by coach Glenn Hoddle, becoming England ‘s youngest ever actor at a World Cup when he came on as a ersatz in the opening pit against Tunisia. In the play along match, a 2–1 kill to Romania, Owen again appeared as a alternate. His equalising finish made him England ‘s youngest always goalscorer in the tournament at the historic period of 18 years and 190 days. In blockage time, he hit the post with a long range shoot, about salvaging a point from the game. [ 137 ] Because of his impact against Romania, Hoddle selected Owen in the starting line-up for England ‘s decisive group match against Colombia. England won the match and Owen retained his identify for the irregular cycle match against Argentina. After Argentina had taken a sixth-minute jumper cable, Owen was fouled in the penalty area by Roberto Ayala and Alan Shearer equalised with the penalty kick. In the 16th moment, Owen gave England a 2–1 run with a arresting person goal. After beating defenders Ayala and José Chamot, he struck the ball past goalkeeper Carlos Roa from just outside the penalty box. In 2013, the goal was voted as the third-greatest in England ‘s history. [ 138 ] England finally drew the peer and went out of the tournament on penalties, with Owen successfully converting his kick. [ 139 ] At the end of the year, he won a public vote to be elected winner of the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year title. [ 140 ]

euro 2000 [edit ]

Owen started the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying phase as a regular in the England starting line-up. however, injury problems meant he missed much of the crusade as England struggled, with Hoddle being replaced by Kevin Keegan. On 4 September 1999, he scored his first base goal at Wembley Stadium in a 6–0 acquire over Luxembourg. [ 141 ] At the finals, Owen scored once in three matches, as England were knocked out at the group stage .

2002 World Cup [edit ]

After Alan Shearer ‘s retirement, Owen took over as England ‘s senior striker [ 142 ] under new coach Sven-Göran Eriksson. He scored six times during 2002 World Cup qualify, including a hat-trick against Germany at Munich ‘s Olympiastadion, as England won the qualifying group. His performances saw him named European Footballer of the year for 2001. [ 143 ]

“ You know that if he is on the pitch, there is always the prospect to win until the death moment of the game. There are so many commodity memories of Michael and my relationship with him as coach, but it must be scoring three goals against Germany aside. I never thought about that, but I wonder now how many players have scored three goals in Germany away ? That ca n’t be many. ”

Sven-Göran Eriksson [ 136 ]
In April 2002, he was named as England ‘s captain for a friendly couple against Paraguay in place of the hurt regular master David Beckham. Owen was the youngest England captain since Bobby Moore in 1963, [ 144 ] and in the be few seasons regularly deputised for Beckham as Eriksson ‘s vice-captain. At the 2002 World Cup finals, Owen failed to score during the group stage. however, he was fouled for England ‘s pit winning penalty kick in the 1–0 win over Argentina. Owen scored in England ‘s moment round match against Denmark and then gave England an early lead in the 2–1 quarter-final kill against Brazil .

euro 2004 [edit ]

Owen scored five times in qualification for Euro 2004. At the tournament proper, Owen again failed to score during the group phase. He then scored in the third infinitesimal of the quarter-final with Portugal, becoming the first England musician to score in four consecutive major tournaments. [ 145 ] England went on to lose on penalties after a 2–2 draw .

2006 World Cup [edit ]

In qualification for the 2006 World Cup, Owen scored five goals. In May 2005, he scored his second international hat-trick in a friendly match against Colombia at Giants Stadium. [ 146 ] In another pre-World Cup friendly, Owen scored two late goals to give England a 3–2 acquire over rivals Argentina in November 2005. [ 147 ] Owen made his debut for the England B-team in a friendly against Belarus on 25 May 2006, as part of his return to match seaworthiness ahead of the 2006 World Cup. He captained England B in this game, playing for 61 minutes before being substituted. [ 148 ] Owen started England ‘s beginning two games of the 2006 World Cup, against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, but did not manage to score. After playing only 51 seconds of his one-third appearance of the tournament, and 80th cap, in the final group bet on against Sweden, Owen ill twisted his right stifle and was forced to leave the match on a stretcher. [ 149 ] A scan of the injury on 21 June confirmed that Owen had torn the front tooth cruciate ligament ( ACL ) in his knee, and was sent home, no longer able to play in the tournament. [ 150 ] In March 2009, Owen admitted that all injuries he was sustaining were relating bet on to his injury in the 2006 World Cup tournament, and that he should not have returned prematurely from injury to participate in the rival. [ 151 ]

final appearances [edit ]

Owen undergo successful reconstruction operation, carried out by Richard Steadman, on 6 September 2006. [ 152 ] The injury sidelined him until April 2007, meaning he missed England ‘s beginning six matches in qualifying for Euro 2008. He returned for the England B game against Albania, [ 153 ] and was named in the broad police squad for the first England match at the new Wembley Stadium against Brazil and the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, [ 154 ] with Owen stating “ I feel sharp and, if given the chance, I feel convinced when in front of goal. ” [ 155 ] He played in both matches and scored against Estonia, breaking Gary Lineker ‘s record for most goals in competitive internationals for England. [ 156 ] On 12 September 2007, Owen scored doubly for England in a 3–0 win over Russia, becoming the first base actor to score international goals at both the old and newfangled Wembley Stadiums. [ 157 ] These were to be Owen ‘s final goals for England. [ 158 ] After England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, coach Steve McClaren was replaced by Fabio Capello. Owen made only one appearance under Capello, as a ersatz in a friendly against France in March 2008. [ 159 ]

style of play [edit ]

In his prime, Owen was highly regarded for his great tempo, [ 160 ] opportunism [ 161 ] and agility, [ 162 ] equally well as his technical ability and his eye for finish, [ 161 ] [ 162 ] which enabled him to be considered one of the greatest english and Premier League strikers of his generation. [ 163 ] A fecund goalscorer, Owen was a potent and accurate finisher, [ 162 ] [ 164 ] who was besides effective with his head, despite his miss of height. [ 162 ] [ 164 ] [ 165 ] [ 166 ] He was besides capable of linking up with and creating chances for teammates due to his light excrete ability and vision. [ 162 ] [ 164 ] Despite, or even due to, his precocious endowment in his young, [ 162 ] Owen faced many injuries throughout his career, which in later years affected his pace, fitness, mobility and the overall consistency of his performances. [ 167 ]

personal liveliness [edit ]

Owen met Louise Bonsall at primary school in 1984. [ 168 ] The couple bought Lower Soughton Manor in Flintshire, North Wales, where they keep his cars and her horses. They were engaged on 14 February 2004, and married on 24 June 2005, [ 169 ] at the Carden Park Hotel in Chester, Cheshire. The pair had initially planned to get married at their home, but changed plans when they were informed that if a license was granted for a marriage ceremony the venue must be made available for other weddings for three years, [ 168 ] thus opted to marry in a register position in cozy clothing and have a lavish reception the next day in the grounds of their home. Their daughter, Gemma Rose, was born on 1 May 2003. [ 170 ] On 6 February 2006, they had a son named James Michael. Their third gear child, a daughter, Emily May, was born on 29 October 2007. [ 171 ] Their fourth child Jessica was born on 26 February 2010. [ 172 ] After Owen returned to the UK to play for Newcastle, he travelled to a nearby BAE Systems facility on a daily basis in order to fly, by helicopter, to train with his golf club. however, there is now a helipad installed within the grounds of the sign of the zodiac to accommodate Owen ‘s Eurocopter Dauphin, with which he both travels and is training to become a fender. [ 173 ] Owen was finally banned from training to be a fender by Newcastle United due to excessive indemnity premiums. [ 174 ] Owen besides bought an stallion street for his offer family in Ewloe, which is in an sphere close to where he used to live. [ 175 ] In 2004, Owen ‘s sister Karen was assaulted by two youths, who attempted to kidnap her. When she revealed that she was meaning, they fled. [ 176 ] Owen owns respective cars and a helicopter and enjoys sawhorse racing and gamble. He owns many race horses, trained by Tom Dascombe. [ 177 ] He bred the horse Brown Panther which won a major rush at Royal Ascot in 2011, [ 178 ] and the 2015 Dubai Gold Cup. [ 179 ] Owen was a sword ambassador for british bookmaker Colossus Bets. [ 180 ] On 24 November 2017, Owen ride on Calder Prince at Ascot and finished second gear, beaten by Tom Chatfield-Roberts on Golden Wedding. He was one of 10 amateur riders to take separate in the seven-furlong ‘Prince ‘s Countryside Fund Charity ‘ contest, which was attended by HRH Prince Charles and HRH Duchess of Cornwall. [ 181 ] Owen starred in a series of adverts that charted his life sentence and rise to fame. [ 182 ] In 2001, he was the advertise face of breakfast cereal “ Nestlé Sporties ”. He besides appeared in several adverts for the washing powder Persil, in a contract deserving £1 million. [ 182 ] Owen was selected as one of the two cover athletes for Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. [ 183 ] He has been an ambassador of the swiss watchmaker Tissot since 1998 and has a sign with cable car manufacturer Jaguar. [ 184 ] [ 185 ] Owen besides starred as himself in the children ‘s television drama show Hero to Zero. In the course of study, Owen would emerge from a full size bill poster of himself in Charlie Brice ‘s room to offer advice in times of crisis. [ 186 ] Owen had indicated that he would like to become involve with Chester in some capacitance when he retires, as it was his local anesthetic team growing up and his father played for the old Chester side which went out of business in March 2010 and was reformed at a lower level. [ 187 ] In January 2018, Owen participated in And They’re Off! in aid of Sport Relief, winning the episode. [ citation needed ]

career statistics [edit ]

club [edit ]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[188]
Club Season League National Cup[a] League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Liverpool 1996–97 Premier League 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
1997–98 Premier League 36 18 0 0 4 4 4[b] 1 44 23
1998–99 Premier League 30 18 2 2 2 1 6[b] 2 40 23
1999–2000 Premier League 27 11 1 0 2 1 30 12
2000–01 Premier League 28 16 5 3 2 1 11[b] 4 46 24
2001–02 Premier League 29 19 2 2 0 0 10[c] 5 2[d] 2 43 28
2002–03 Premier League 35 19 2 0 4 2 12[e] 7 1[f] 0 54 28
2003–04 Premier League 29 16 3 1 0 0 6[b] 2 38 19
Total 216 118 15 8 14 9 49 21 3 2 297 158
Real Madrid 2004–05 La Liga 36 13 4 2 5[c] 1 45 16
Newcastle United 2005–06 Premier League 11 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 7
2006–07 Premier League 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2007–08 Premier League 29 11 3 1 1 1 33 13
2008–09 Premier League 28 8 2 0 2 2 32 10
Total 71 26 5 1 3 3 0 0 79 30
Manchester United 2009–10 Premier League 19 3 1 0 4 2 6[c] 4 1[f] 0 31 9
2010–11 Premier League 11 2 2 1 1 2 2[c] 0 1[f] 0 17 5
2011–12 Premier League 1 0 0 0 2 3 1[c] 0 0 0 4 3
Total 31 5 3 1 7 7 9 4 2 0 52 17
Stoke City 2012–13 Premier League 8 1 1 0 0 0 9 1
Total 362 163 28 12 24 19 63 26 5 2 482 222

International [edit ]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[189][190]
National team Year Apps Goals
England 1998 12 4
1999 6 1
2000 6 3
2001 8 6
2002 12 5
2003 9 5
2004 13 4
2005 9 7
2006 5 1
2007 8 4
2008 1 0
Total 89 40
Scores and results list England’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Owen goal.

Honours [edit ]

Liverpool [ 192 ]
Manchester United [ 192 ]
Individual

References [edit ]

Read more: Willem Dafoe