Michael Owen Biography
– Introduction Few young players were greeted with
so much expectation in England as was Michael Owen on his debut. He was
considered a future world class talent even since
his teens and he did manage to fill the big shoes that he has been
offered, wherever he played.
Unfortunately, a string of
annoying injuries reduced his chances of becoming the top player that
he was meant to be. This Michael Owen biography will take you through
the ups and downs of the striker's career, from youth level to his
current club, Newcastle United.
Full
name
Michael
James Owen
Date
of birth
December
14, 1979
Place
of birth
Chester,
England
Height
5.8FT
- 1.72M
Playing
position
Striker
Michael Owen Biography
– Youth Days Owen started playing soccer at
Mold
Alexandra, a Welsh club, at only 7 years of age. His father persuaded
the club's coach to use Michael in a team of 10 year olds and despite
his smaller frame, he managed to become the "secret weapon"
of the team soon enough, especially since all the other players would
underestimate him due to his size and age.
At 11, he was already a
star
amongst the English soccer world and everyone rushed in to sign him. He
had offers from Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool and
he eventually settled for the latter, Liverpool offering him the chance
to study at the FA's School of Excellence when he was 14 years old.
Season
Club
Games
Goals
1996–2004
Liverpool
216
118
2004–2005
Real
Madrid
34
13
2005–Present
Newcastle
United
19
8
Last
Update - Sep 28, 2007
Domestic League Only
Michael Owen Biography
– Liverpool In 1996, right after Michael
Owen's 17th
birthday, he was offered a contract for the senior squad. On his first
match in the jersey of Liverpool, he came in as a substitute and scored
a goal which overjoyed the young player and would give him confidence
for the future. Actually, as he will soon prove, Michael Owen's goals
would literally "feed" his hunger for more. The
times in which he didn't score, would also mean a downslide in his
overall form.
Michael Owen
would play with
Liverpool for 8 full seasons, winning the League Cup twice (2001 and
2003), the FA Cup once (2001), the UEFA Cup once (2001) and the
European Super Cup and Charity Shield in the same year, 2002. He has
attained a legendary status amongst the fans, but unfortunately he also
built a reputation for himself as being a glass cannon:
a lethal player when fit, but also one that is quite fragile
physically.
A
funny one on the "glass cannon"...
Michael Owen's goals for Liverpool (180 in approximately 350
appearances for the club) made Real Madrid consider him as a top class
striker for their star-studded team and in 2004, they bought the
promising English striker from Liverpool, in a deal of roughly $15
million.
Michael Owen Biography
– Real Madrid and Newcastle United Real Madrid is the
kind of team that
you either prove your worth at, or die down as an eternal substitute.
During his time at Real, Michael Owen was neither. His sole season at
Real earned Owen the highest goals/minutes played ratio,
but he was not a regular first team player and with Real Madrid signing
two additional Brazilian strikers in the summer of 2005 (Robinho and
Baptista), Michael Owen's spot seemed sealed, so he moved to Newcastle
United.
Years
National
Team
Games
Goals
1998-Present
England
85
40
Last
Update - Sep 12, 2007
At Newcastle
United, Michael
Owen seems to have regained his scoring pace. Finally catching a break
from his injuries, he managed to score regularly in his first season
here and also regained his place in the start-up line of England's
national side.
Unfortunately,
in the 2006
World Cup initial match against Sweden, Michael Owen suffered yet
another injury, this time damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in
his right knee, an injury that kept him off the pitch
for over a year, as he just started running and training again in the
spring of 2007.
Although
fully recovered now,
his time with Newcastle United seems short and many speculate that as
soon as an opportunity arises, Michael Owen will move back to the club
that made him famous, Liverpool FC.
