Michael Owen. Review on Michael Owen

Do you remember the kid who scored a goal for England against Argentina in the World Cup in 1998. No?? Well, that match is remembered for a lot of reasons rather than that goal. That kid, who scored the brilliant goal in that match has grown up to become one of the most feared and respected strikers in the game today. He is none other than Michael Owen.

Born in December 1979, in Chester, Owen played for Liverpool in the junior team before signing a full contract just before his 17th birthday. He scored a goal as a substitute on his Premier League debut. It was the year 1997, and Liverpool were trailing in the match against Wimbledon when a school boy was sent in as a second half substitute. This school boy scored his first Premier League goal in that match. Liverpool lost that match, but Owen announced his arrival on the big stage. Scoring goals was what he did best, and he did so. Season after season, the Liverpool top scorer was always Owen. He has played a total of 297 games for Liverpool and scored 158 goals. He has also scored more than 20 goals for Liverpool in the European Championship (UEFA), thus leaving Anfield great Ian Rushbehind. The record for scoring the most number of goals for England in internation matches is also within his grasp.

What makes Michael Owen so special? Michael Owen is a very special player who has a unique combination of talent, skill, speed, and a cool head. Yes, cool head. He has the ability to read the game situation and play accordingly. His cool temparament is what makes him stand out. Footballers are known to be hot heads, but not Owen. Keeping calm in even the toughest of situations, he scores goals and that’s what really matters. Who can forget the hat trick he scored in England’s 5-1 win over Germany. In 2001, Owen won the European Footballer of the Yearaward.

Talent: Owen has loads of it. You don’t score an average of 2 goals every match if you are not talented. And it requires special talent to score on debut.

Skill and Speed: Skillful player who can play and score from both sides of the goal. The speed with which he takes the ball to the penalty area is exceptional. Probably one of the quickest around.

Cool head: We have hardly seen Owen lose his cool on the field. Ice cool temperament is what seperates him from the rest.

Walk on with hope in your heart, and you will never walk alone

This is the Anfield anthem. Michael Owen preferred to walk alone in the year 2004. He left Liverpool to join Real Madrid in August 2004. Why did he leave the club he loved so much, the club he loved and played for and cheered as a boy? Differences with the new manager, Rafael Benitezwas just one side of the story. The other side could be more of high quality Champions League matches.

Time in Spain : A Big PainThe time Michael Owen spent in Spain with Real Madrid wasn’t the best time in his careers. He hardly got a first team start, often coming as a sub in the final stages of the matches. Whatever chances he got, Owen grabbed them with both hands and scored. Madrid already had two strikers, Ronaldo and Raul, when they signed Owen and in 2005, they signed two more, Robinho and Julio Baptista. This meant less time on the field and plenty of time on the bench. This wasn’t a good sign in a World cup year. He needed to be on the field as much as possible and get some action. The decision to leave Madrid after just one season made perfect sense. The Anfield boy was returning home.

“I have signed a four year contract and I am here to stay”

This is what he told the Newcastle supporters who had flocked to St. James Park to witness the signing. Owen has signed a four year contract with the club and will be playing with Alan Shearer in the Premier League. The decision to sign with Newcastle is a good one for Owen. He wanted to go to Liverpool as that was his team, Benitez wasn’t too keen to sign him, as he already had the strikers he wanted. Newcastle will provide him with plenty of starting line up chances, a great opportunity to score more goals and show his talent on the big stage.

Michael Owen

Position : Striker

Team : England

Jersey : 10

Clubs : Liverpool (1997-2004), Real Madrid (2004-05), Newcastle (2005/06 - )