Owen

Michael Owen

The son of the former Bradford and Chester City striker Terry Owen, Michael Owen started his career at Liverpool in 1996 and having been in the youth team since 1991. In his first full season in 1997 he was Premier League’s joint top goal scorer; he managed to repeat this the following year and was Liverpool’s top goal scorer from 1997 to 2004.

A prolific goal scorer like Owen was soon called up to the England squad and in 1998 he was in the England first team having been in the U21's. During his time at England he became the captain in 2002 due to Beckham being injured the youngest player to do so since Bobby Moore in 1963.

Owen's career has been subject to a spate of injuries, the worst case was in 2006 during the World Cup where he sustained a damaged anterior cruciate ligament in the first minute of the game against Sweden which kept him playing for a year, this led to bitter feud between his then club Newcastle and FIFA/FA which was finally resolved with a £10 million compensation package awarded to Newcastle for wages and Owen's replacement.

Owen signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2009 and he had hoped that a regular place in the United team would see him feature in Capello’s World Cup plans. However in March 2010 he sustained a hamstring injury in the 2010 Football League Cup Final scuppered his chances of World Cup glory as the injury ruled him out to the end of the season.

International Career

Team Years Appearances Goals Goals to Game Ratio
England U20 1997 4 3  0.75
England U21 1997 1 1 1
England B 2006 - 2007 2 0 0
England 1998 - 89 40  0.45
Total 96 44 0.46

Honours

World Cup Injury

The moment in the 2006 World Cup that saw Michael Owen's exit from the competition.