#4 Michael Owen
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A childhood Everton fan, Michael Owen would grow up to be a legend for the red side of Liverpool whom he joined at the age of 12. By the age of 17, he had signed his first professional contract with the senior team and wasted no time to show his worth as he scored on his debut against Wimbledon. The English striker made a name for himself for his quickness and vision as there was quite no one like him playing in England at that time.
In 1997-98 when he replaced Robbie Fowler as the side’s first-choice striker. He made his presence felt immediately winning both the Golden Boot and PFA Young Player of the Year. Even though the later part of the 90s was riddled with injuries for the forward, he managed to win the Golden Boot a second time.
2000-01 was, as we all remember, a landmark year for Owen when Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League. That wasn’t all. He was awarded the Ballon D’Or in 2001 ahead of the likes of Oliver Kahn, Raul and David Beckham.
His exploits in England earned him a contract with Real Madrid in 2004 but Owen had already begun to slow down and mainly appeared as a substitute for the Los Blancos. After just a year of playing alongside the Galacticos, Owen moved to Newcastle United where he tasted the bitter result of relegation in his last season at the club. In his four years with the Magpies, he spent a large part of the time sidelined due to injuries.
Luckily for Owen, when Newcastle was relegated from the first division after 15 years in 2009, his contract expired meaning he would not have to play in the Championship. Despite the club’s many efforts, Owen waited for his contract to run out in the hope any number of clubs would be interested in signing a free agent and that club turned out to be Manchester United.
