Michael Owen

Michael James Owen (born December 14, 1979, in Chester, Cheshire is an English football player currently with Newcastle United. He has also played for Liverpool (1996–2004) and Real Madrid (2004-05). He plays as a striker and has enjoyed a hugely successful and high-profile career at both club and international level and was the European Footballer of the Year in 2001. Owen is currently England's 4th highest scorer of all time, with 37 goals in 82 games for his country, with him being England's leading competitive goalscorer on 23 goals.

Pace and clinical finishing were Owen's greatest assets early in his career, though some consider he has since lost some pace due to injuries. Owen has recently returned from a year and a half of recurrent injuries sustained since December 2005.


Early life

When Michael was only seven his father, Terry, persuaded the manager of Mold Alexandra to let Michael into his team of ten-year-olds. Michael was quite a bit younger than most, and very much smaller, but he was soon showing off his "flair" and started in most games becoming known as the club's 'secret weapon'. He also played for his primary school team in Hawarden, Wales, breaking all local scoring records in his first season. He then attended Hawarden High School, where he also played for the school team.

His records and ability attracted much attention from top English teams, but as a Junior School boy, the school had the final say and it was a policy not to allow pupils to sign contracts at such a young age.







Liverpool F.C.
At age 11, when Owen had joined Hawarden High, he became available to sign "School Boy" forms with a club. He held talks with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, before he eventually signed for Liverpool. The club who persuaded him to attend the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall in Shropshire from age 14. Throughout this time, he studied at Idsall School, Shifnal, Shropshire, and achieved ten GCSEs.

Liverpool signed Owen after he graduated from Lilleshall at 16, and joined the club on the Youth Training Scheme. With Owen's help, Liverpool's youth team won the FA Youth Cup in 1996. After four months, he signed professional forms for the senior team just after his seventeenth birthday in December 1996.

He made his debut for Liverpool against Wimbledon in May 1997, coming on as a substitute and scoring a goal. With an injury to Robbie Fowler, he was thrust immediately into action as a first team regular alongside the likes of newcomer Paul Ince and playmaker Steve McManaman in the following 1997-98 season. Owen ended that season as a joint top scorer in the Premier League with Chris Sutton and Dion Dublin, scoring eighteen goals, and was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year by fellow professionals.

Personal life

Owen is married to Louise Bonsall. They married on 24 June 2005, at the Carden Park Hotel in Wales, having been engaged since 14 February 2004.They had known each other since starting primary school in 1984. They became parents on 1 May 2003 when their daughter, Gemma Rose Owen, was born. Their son, James Michael Owen, was born on 6 February 2006. The couple had initially planned to get married at their home, Lower Soughton Hall, but changed plans when they were informed that if a licence was granted for a marriage ceremony the venue must be made available for other weddings for three years, so opted to marry in a registry office in informal clothing and have a lavish reception the next day in the grounds of their home.

Owen also bought an entire street for his extended family (Austen Close, Ewloe), which is in an area close to where he used to live. In 2004, Owen's sister Karen was assaulted by two youths, who attempted to kidnap her. When she revealed that she was pregnant, they fled.