Golden Boot winner at the 1998 World Cup aged 18, Ballon d'Or winner in 2001 and one of England's finest ever strikers.
Michael James Owen was born in Chester in 1979 and made his Liverpool debut aged 17. His goal against Argentina at France 98 — a surging 40-yard run past three defenders followed by a composed finish — announced him to the world at 18. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, the only Liverpool player to do so, scoring 16 league goals that season as Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble. He scored 158 goals in 297 Liverpool appearances. He joined Real Madrid in 2004 before returning to Newcastle. Persistent hamstring injuries progressively limited his effectiveness but he scored Premier League goals for Manchester United (2009-12) and Stoke City (2012-13). He scored 40 international goals in 89 England appearances. At his absolute peak between 1997 and 2003 — before recurring hamstring problems — his pace, positioning and composure in front of goal ranked him among Europe's finest strikers. He retired in 2013 and became a television pundit and racehorse owner and trainer.
FA Cup 2001, 2006 (Liverpool)
Career Honours
- FA Cup 2001, 2006 (Liverpool)
- League Cup 2001, 2003
- UEFA Cup 2001
- European Golden Boot 1998
- Ballon d'Or 2001
- FIFA World Cup hat-trick vs Germany 2001