Owen retires from game
Stoke City striker Michael Owen today declared this his last
season in professional football following a first-team career spanning 17 years
and five clubs, after injury problems that blighted his career continually,
beginning in his latter days at Liverpool and becoming progressively worse as
time went on. He’s only managed six appearances at Stoke thus far, failing to
establish himself as a regular at the Britannia Stadium during what will be his
only season at the club.
Owen’s early days at Liverpool saw him burst on the scene as a
17-year-old, wooing the Anfield faithful with explosive pace and deadly
finishing. He was instantly recognised as a superstar in the making and his reputation
was further enhanced by ‘THAT’ goal for England at the 1998 World Cup against
Argentina when he beat two defenders in the midst of a mazy run before
finishing clinically; the media were purring at just how far he could go in the game.
The nippy striker succeeded in being the top scorer at Liverpool
every year from 1998 until he left in the summer of 2004 for Spanish giants
Real Madrid. The Castilian club had long admired Owen from afar, with rumours
of their interest surfacing two years previous to his actual signing. He moved
on from Merseyside having plundered 179 goals in 306 appearances.
He spent a solitary season at the Bernabeu on the bench for the
most part, but still hit 19 goals in 43 games. It was a difficult time for the
England international and Newcastle United offered him a way back to the
Premier League in 2005. Owen reportedly hoped for swift return to Liverpool,
but that move failed to materialise. Therefore, he was paraded by manager
Graeme Souness and director Freddy Shepherd amid much fanfare at St. James’
Park after the north-east club captured the forward’s signature for £15
million.
Owen had some injury issues during his four-year stint with the ‘Magpies’,
yet again he cultivated an impressive scoring record of 30 goals in 74 matches.
Some sections of the media suggested his time at Newcastle had been a failure,
but a record of a goal every 2.46 games suggested otherwise. However, a
terrible knee injury which Owen suffered on England duty in 2006 did cause a
large chunk of the 06-07 season to be a wash-out for the unfortunate striker.
At the end of his contract, the lack of initial interest in his
services was a surprise to the player forcing him to take the unusual step of
sending promotional footage of his goal-scoring exploits to several Premier
League clubs in the hope of securing a new deal with a top-flight team. It was
Manchester United, Liverpool’s traditional rivals, that took a chance on the
striker. Owen spent three years at Old Trafford as a squad player, scoring probably
his most important goal with a last-gasp winner in a 4-3 derby win over
Manchester City.
He ended on 17 goals for United before declaring that he still felt
he had something to offer in the Premier League, opposed to dropping down a
division. Stoke City decided to pair him with former England colleague Peter
Crouch this season, but a lack of match fitness and some injury problems have
resulted in limited opportunities for Owen to contribute.
On 19th March 2013, the 33-year-old announced an
intention to end his playing days at the end of the 12-13 season.
The former Liverpool star will be remembered for his searing pace, some glorious moments with club and country and a natural instinct for goals. His international record of 40 goals in 89 games with England puts him fourth on the all-time list.
The former Liverpool star will be remembered for his searing pace, some glorious moments with club and country and a natural instinct for goals. His international record of 40 goals in 89 games with England puts him fourth on the all-time list.
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