Michael James Owen was born on the 14th December 1979, in Chester, Cheshire. He is an English International football player currently with Newcastle United. He has also played for Liverpool between 1996.2004, and Real Madrid 2004-5. He plays as a striker and has enjoyed a hugely successful and high-profile career at both club and international level becoming the European Footballer of the Year in 2001.
Pace and superb one-on-one finishing were Owen's greatest assets through most of his career, though he has since lost some pace. Owen has recently returned from a year and a half of recurrent injuries the most horrific being sustained in the World Cup in Germany 2006, against Sweden.
Owen was a regular in the England set-up from his debut in 1998, and with over 80 appearances and 36 goals will be a hard act to follow. If he had not sustained his injury in 2006 when arguably at his best, he would have been a key player in the Euro 2008 qualification games.
