Michael James Owen was born on 14 December 1979 and is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as for the England national team.
123 Facts About Michael Owen
2.
In 2004, Michael Owen was named by Pele in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
3.
The son of former footballer Terry Michael Owen, Michael Owen was born in Chester and began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996.
4.
Michael Owen repeated this the following year and was Liverpool's top goal-scorer from 1997 to 2004, gaining his name as a proven goal-scorer despite suffering from a recurring hamstring injury.
5.
In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup, and Michael Owen was the recipient of the Ballon d'Or.
6.
Michael Owen went on to score 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool, and 158 goals in 297 total appearances.
7.
Michael Owen spent three years at Old Trafford before joining Stoke City in September 2012.
8.
Michael Owen is one of ten players to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League.
9.
Michael Owen is the youngest player to have reached 100 goals in the Premier League.
10.
Internationally, Michael Owen first played for the senior England team in 1998, becoming England's youngest player and youngest goalscorer at the time.
11.
Michael Owen went on to score in UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
12.
Michael Owen is the only player to have scored in four consecutive major tournaments for England.
13.
Michael Owen played at the 2006 World Cup, but suffered an injury which took him a year to recover from.
14.
Michael Owen was born in Chester, Cheshire, the fourth child of Jeanette and Terry Michael Owen.
15.
Michael Owen's father is a former professional footballer and played for clubs such as Chester City and Everton.
16.
At eight, Michael Owen was selected for the Deeside Area Primary School's Under-11 team.
17.
Michael Owen broke Gary Speed's appearance record having played in all three seasons for the 11-year-olds since he was eight.
18.
Michael Owen turned out for the youth team of Mold Alexandra, playing with the under-10s at the age of eight after a local physical education teacher, Howard Roberts, persuaded the league to allow an under-age player.
19.
Michael Owen went on to score 34 goals in 24 games in his first season with Mold Alexandra.
20.
At age 12, when Michael Owen started attending secondary school, he became eligible to sign a schoolboy contract with a club.
21.
The club then persuaded Michael Owen to attend the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall in Shropshire at age 14.
22.
Michael Owen was playing for England teams from under-15 upwards, breaking several scoring records with 28 goals in 20 games for the England u-15s and u-16s.
23.
Michael Owen scored prolifically as he rose rapidly through the Anfield youth ranks.
24.
Michael Owen scored a hat-trick against FA Youth Cup holders Manchester United in the quarter-finals, scoring the winner in extra time.
25.
Michael Owen missed the first leg at Upton Park as he was on tour duty with the England under-16 team in the European youth championship in Austria.
26.
Michael Owen celebrated his 17th birthday by signing a professional contract with Liverpool.
27.
Karl-Heinz Riedle, who prior to joining Liverpool in the summer of 1997 had never heard of Michael Owen, declared, "It's unbelievable when you see him play to realise that he's only 17," he said.
28.
On 6 May 1997, Michael Owen scored on his Liverpool debut against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.
29.
Michael Owen won the Premier League Golden Boot and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
30.
Michael Owen finished in third place in the PFA Player of the Year voting behind Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams.
31.
Michael Owen was runner-up to Zinedine Zidane in the World Player of the Year award, finishing in fourth position in the FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year international awards.
32.
Michael Owen constantly moved from static positions to full speed in a matter of split seconds.
33.
Michael Owen played intermittently throughout the season and ended up ceding the Golden Boot to Kevin Phillips.
34.
Michael Owen remained out of action for well over a month and later received treatment from German doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt.
35.
Michael Owen was the recipient of the European Player of the Year award in recognition of his performances that season.
36.
Michael Owen became the first English winner of the European Footballer of the Year award since Kevin Keegan was given the honour in 1979.
37.
Michael Owen scored both Liverpool goals late in the 2001 FA Cup Final to turn around what had appeared to be a certain defeat for Liverpool at the hands of Arsenal.
38.
On 29 December 2001, Michael Owen scored his 100th goal for Liverpool during the season against West Ham United.
39.
Michael Owen led them to success in the Charity Shield and the UEFA Super Cup during the start of the season in 2001.
40.
Michael Owen is Liverpool through and through and he is staying with me.
41.
Michael Owen was controversially overlooked for the PFA Player of the Year award during the season.
42.
Michael Owen had scored in the League Cup Final against Manchester United to clinch the trophy for Liverpool.
43.
Michael Owen has had a great season and I think he will be even better next season.
44.
Michael Owen only played intermittently over the following months, suffering from niggling ankle and hamstring injuries, while Liverpool's season fell apart.
45.
Since 1998, Michael Owen had been Liverpool's top scorer every season until he left the club.
46.
Michael Owen joined the club during its Galacticos era, and played alongside Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and his England teammate David Beckham.
47.
Michael Owen was often confined to the bench and drew criticism from fans and the Spanish press for his lack of form.
48.
On 31 August 2005, Michael Owen signed a four-year contract to play for Newcastle, despite initial press speculation that he would rather have returned to Liverpool.
49.
Some 20,000 fans were present at Newcastle's home ground of St James' Park for Michael Owen's official unveiling as a Newcastle player.
50.
On 31 December 2005, Michael Owen broke a metatarsal bone in his foot in a match against Tottenham Hotspur.
51.
Michael Owen underwent surgery to place a pin in the bone, to help speed the healing process.
52.
Michael Owen then stated that he should be fit for the final few weeks of the season with Newcastle.
53.
Michael Owen underwent a further X-ray and made himself unavailable for Newcastle's final game of the season.
54.
The Michael Owen case was a high-profile follow-up to an already ongoing legal claim for compensation from FIFA over an injury incurred by Abdelmajid Oulmers on international duty.
55.
Michael Owen began light training on 12 February 2007, when pictures on the club's official website highlighted Michael Owen running and carrying out minor exercises.
56.
Michael Owen played the full 90 minutes, having a goal disallowed for offside.
57.
Michael Owen was stretchered off an hour into Newcastle's game with Watford on 13 May 2007, suffering concussion after colliding with teammate Matty Pattison.
58.
Several days later, Michael Owen picked up a thigh injury in training.
59.
Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce said that Michael Owen was likely to miss the start of the forthcoming Premier League season due to the injury which "doesn't look as encouraging as we first thought".
60.
Michael Owen made his comeback from injury in a club friendly on 13 August 2007 and declared himself available for Newcastle's next match, against Aston Villa, as well as England's forthcoming international matches.
61.
On 29 August 2007, Michael Owen scored his first competitive goal for Newcastle since December 2005 when he scored in the League Cup against Barnsley.
62.
In November 2007, Michael Owen suffered a thigh strain while on international duty, ruling him out for six weeks.
63.
Michael Owen was awarded the captaincy by Keegan on 19 January 2008.
64.
Michael Owen scored his first league goal of 2008 on 3 February.
65.
Michael Owen made his return in the second game of the season against Bolton Wanderers on 23 August 2008, coming on in the 53rd minute for the injured Obafemi Martins.
66.
On 22 December 2008, Michael Owen rejected a new contract offer from Newcastle, but stated that he would not be seeking a move in the January transfer window and instead intended to postpone talks over his contract situation until the end of the season.
67.
In September 2019, Michael Owen stated that he regretted his move to Newcastle and that he had hoped for a return to Liverpool.
68.
On 3 July 2009, it was announced that Michael Owen had signed a two-year deal with Manchester United, arch rivals of Liverpool.
69.
Michael Owen signed a pay-as-you-play deal and was handed the number 7 shirt vacated by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
70.
Michael Owen scored his first goal for United on his debut, scoring an 84th-minute winner after coming on as a substitute in a pre-season friendly against a Malaysian XI; he followed this up by scoring three more goals in United's pre-season games.
71.
Michael Owen struggled to recall the moments immediately after the goal, and said that it ranked as one of his most important.
72.
Michael Owen was an unused substitute in Man United's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, marking the end of his season.
73.
Michael Owen signed a one-year extension to his contract on 1 June 2011.
74.
Michael Owen started his first game of the season in the third round of the League Cup against Leeds United.
75.
Michael Owen started his second game of the season in the fourth round of the League Cup, against League Two club Aldershot Town.
76.
Dimitar Berbatov completed a run down the right flank before pulling the ball back into the box, with Michael Owen scoring past Ross Worner.
77.
In February 2012, Michael Owen started light training with the Manchester United squad.
78.
From April 2012, Michael Owen started full training but was not yet ready for first team games.
79.
On 13 May 2012, Michael Owen was named as a substitute against Sunderland in United's final fixture, but he was not brought on.
80.
On 17 May 2012, Michael Owen announced on Twitter that Manchester United would not be offering him a new deal, ending his three-year association with the club.
81.
On 4 September 2012, Michael Owen joined Stoke City on a one-year contract.
82.
Michael Owen was restricted to just eight Premier League appearances for Stoke, all coming from the substitutes bench, including in his final appearance on 19 May 2013 against Southampton, where he received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.
83.
Michael Owen was capped 89 times for England and scored 40 goals.
84.
Michael Owen is sixth in the list of all-time top scorers for the England team, behind Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves.
85.
Michael Owen is England's second-highest goalscorer in competitive international matches, behind Rooney.
86.
Michael Owen played for England at the 1998,2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups and the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.
87.
Michael Owen scored goals in all but one of these tournaments, making him the only player ever to have scored in four major tournaments for England.
88.
Michael Owen had a highly successful record at Youth level, playing for the England under-20 team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and scoring three goals in four games.
89.
Michael Owen played once for the England under-21 team, scoring in a win over Greece at Carrow Road.
90.
Michael Owen was selected for the World Cup squad by manager Glenn Hoddle, becoming England's youngest ever player at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute in the opening match against Tunisia.
91.
England won the match and Michael Owen retained his place for the second round match against Argentina.
92.
England eventually drew the match and went out of the tournament on penalties, with Michael Owen successfully converting his kick.
93.
Michael Owen started the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying phase as a regular in the England starting line-up.
94.
At the finals, Michael Owen scored once in three matches, as England were knocked out at the group stage.
95.
Michael Owen scored six times during 2002 World Cup qualifying, including a hat-trick against Germany at Munich's Olympiastadion, as England won the qualifying group.
96.
Michael Owen's performances saw him named European Footballer of the Year for 2001.
97.
Michael Owen was the youngest England captain since Bobby Moore in 1963, and in the following few seasons regularly deputised for Beckham as Eriksson's vice-captain.
98.
At the 2002 World Cup finals, Michael Owen failed to score during the group stage.
99.
At the tournament proper, Michael Owen again failed to score during the group stage.
100.
Michael Owen then scored in the third minute of the quarter-final with Portugal, becoming the first England player to score in four consecutive major tournaments.
101.
In qualification for the 2006 World Cup, Michael Owen scored five goals.
102.
Michael Owen made his debut for the England B-team in a friendly against Belarus on 25 May 2006, as part of his return to match fitness ahead of the 2006 World Cup.
103.
Michael Owen started England's first two games of the 2006 World Cup, against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, but did not manage to score.
104.
In March 2009, Michael Owen admitted that all injuries he was sustaining were relating back to his injury in the 2006 World Cup tournament, and that he should not have returned prematurely from injury to participate in the competition.
105.
Michael Owen underwent successful reconstruction surgery, carried out by Richard Steadman, on 6 September 2006.
106.
Michael Owen made only one appearance under Capello, as a substitute in a friendly against France in March 2008.
107.
Michael Owen was capable of linking up with and creating chances for teammates due to his short passing ability and vision.
108.
Despite, or even due to, his precocious talent in his youth, Michael Owen faced many injuries throughout his career, which in later years affected his pace, fitness, mobility and the overall consistency of his performances.
109.
Michael Owen was eventually banned from training to be a pilot by Newcastle United due to excessive insurance premiums.
110.
Michael Owen bought multiple houses on one street for his extended family in Ewloe, which is in an area close to where he used to live.
111.
Michael Owen owns several cars and a helicopter and enjoys horse racing and gambling.
112.
Michael Owen owns many race horses, trained by Tom Dascombe.
113.
Michael Owen bred the horse Brown Panther which won a major race at Royal Ascot in 2011, and the 2015 Dubai Gold Cup.
114.
Michael Owen was a brand ambassador for British bookmaker Colossus Bets.
115.
On 24 November 2017, Michael Owen rode on Calder Prince at Ascot and finished second, beaten by Tom Chatfield-Roberts on Golden Wedding.
116.
Michael Owen was one of 10 amateur riders to take part in the seven-furlong 'Prince's Countryside Fund Charity' contest, which was attended by HRH Prince Charles and HRH Duchess of Cornwall.
117.
Michael Owen starred in a series of adverts that charted his life and rise to fame.
118.
Michael Owen was selected as one of the two cover athletes for Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.
119.
Michael Owen has been an ambassador of the Swiss watchmaker Tissot since 1998 and has a contract with car manufacturer Jaguar.
120.
Michael Owen starred as himself in the children's television drama show Hero to Zero.
121.
Michael Owen had indicated that he would like to become involved with Chester in some capacity when he retires, as it was his local team growing up and his father played for the old Chester side which went out of business in March 2010 and was reformed at a lower level.
122.
In January 2022, Michael Owen appeared on the third series of The Masked Singer as "Doughnuts".
123.
Michael Owen was instructed by the Advertising Standards Authority to delete the promotions for the non-fungible token scheme, which breached rules about advertising cryptocurrency gambling products.