5 footballers whose fall from grace was fast and furious

#4 Michael Owen

Despite sparking occasionally after leaving Liverpool, Owen was never the same, feared entity

Michael Owen might be a constant source of jokes for the internet at the moment. However, there was a time when he was as devastating as a striker can get. He was quick, possessed the vision to create time and space for himself in and around the box and more often than not found the back of the net with his incisiveness.

The very fact that he found the back of the net 158 times in 297 appearances speak volumes about his abilities as a striker and it did not come as a surprise to many when he walked away with the prestigious Ballon d’Or award in 2001 ahead of the likes of Raul, Olver Kahn, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo.

The Englishman scored goals for fun and was tipped to be the leading figure to guide the Liverpool side to the Premier League trophy. That was until doubts began creeping up inside the mind of the feared striker about the ambitions of his club.

After all, the side had not come close to winning the Premier League title during his time at the club and could not be counted upon as an elite football club. With Real Madrid’s Galactico project underway, Owen forced a move to the Spanish capital and that we believe was the start of a downward spiral that very few footballers have experienced as he went from being one of the most feared strikers in football to another striker whose career went downwards after a wrong move.

Yes, he was still capable of scoring some wonderful goals and found the back of the net for Real Madrid and his subsequent club Newcastle United, his career never quite reached the heights as constant injuries mean he was never quite the same. Since leaving Liverpool he managed to score just 64 goals, before hanging up his boots to concentrate on life after football.