Michael Owen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Owen was born in Chester, Cheshire, on 14 December 1979, the fourth child of Jeanette and Terry Owen. His father is a former professional footballer. Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996, scoring on his Premier League debut in May 1997. He finished as joint top scorer in his first full season, sharing the Premier League Golden Boot, and repeated this the following year. In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup (with Owen scoring two late goals in the final) and Football League Cup. He scored 118 goals in 216 Premier League appearances for Liverpool and 158 goals in 297 total appearances. After Liverpool fell behind their title rivals, Owen moved to Real Madrid for £8 million in summer 2004. He scored 13 goals in La Liga before returning to England to join Newcastle United for £16.8 million. After Newcastle were relegated in 2008–09, Owen moved to Manchester United as a free agent. He spent three years there before joining Stoke City in September 2012. He announced his retirement from playing at the end of the 2012–13 season.

In Their Own Story

The defining moment of Owen's early fame arrived at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He became England's youngest player and youngest goalscorer at the time. During the tournament, he scored a spectacular goal against Argentina, running from the halfway line to beat several defenders before slotting past the goalkeeper. This performance brought him immediate national and international prominence. Back at Liverpool, his 2001 season was historic; he led the team to a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup (where he scored two late goals in the final), and Football League Cup. That same year, he won the Ballon d'Or. Despite suffering from recurring hamstring injuries throughout his career, he remained Liverpool's top scorer from 1997 to 2004, netting 158 goals in 297 total appearances for the club.

Reader's Guide

Internationally, Owen first played for the senior England team in 1998, becoming England's youngest player and youngest goal scorer at the time. He scored at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. He was the first player to have scored in four consecutive major tournaments for England. He played at the 2006 World Cup but suffered an injury that took a year to recover from. He made 89 appearances for England, scoring 40 goals, of which 26 were in competitive matches, a record for England at the time of his retirement.

Did You Know?

• Owen is one of ten players to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League.
• He is the youngest player to have reached 100 goals in the Premier League.
• At age 12, Owen signed a schoolboy contract with Liverpool after being impressed by youth development officer Steve Heighway.
• Owen scored 97 goals in a single season for Deeside Area Primary School's Under-11 team, breaking Ian Rush's record.