[lfc-news] End of an era for Anfield - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 13 Aug 2004
End of an era for Anfield
By Rob Brady and Mike Hornby, Liverpool Echo

HE wanted to be a football player from an early age.

But not just any football player. Michael Owen wanted to be a Liverpool player.

Owen signed terms with Liverpool at the age of 11 despite Alex Ferguson
trying to get him to sign for Manchester United.

By the age of 18, he'd become one of the most well-known sporting names
around the world.

And now, just five years on, he is a true soccer idol, having broken
goal-scoring records for club and country at all levels.

He may stand a modest 5ft 9in tall but he strikes fear into defences around
the world with his potent combination of sheer pace and ruthless efficiency
in front of goal.

Michael Owen is also a role model for millions of children, comes from a
close-knit family and has largely avoided the attentions of the
scandal-seeking tabloids.

He grew up in Hawarden, just across the Welsh border, with his four
brothers and sisters.

Even as a young lad he was used to being the centre of attention. Playing
in the Deeside Primary Schools league he started playing for an Under-11s
side when he was just seven.

Although his father Terry played for Everton, Michael headed for Anfield
and in 1996 signed professional forms before helping Liverpool win the FA
Youth Cup. It was only going to be a matter of time before he made his full
England debut.

But for all his maturity and confidence on the pitch those who know him
well will say he is still just a quiet, modest young man from Deeside.

Former headteacher Chris Harvey, who taught Michael at Hawarden high
school, said: "I remember a bright, shiny young lad who was always keen and
eager - just like the Persil advert.

"He had a real determination when it came to sport.

"After the World Cup in 1998 he came back to the school and although he had
achieved world-wide fame, he did not allow it to go to his head."

He may be modest, but Owen is a global brand. His legs are insured for
£60m, and he has one of the most valuable faces in football.

Advertising endorsements and careful investments in the property market
have helped him amass an estimated £12m fortune, making him one of the
wealthiest men in the game.

Despite worldwide acclaim and near super-hero status among Reds fans, Owen
has kept his feet firmly on the ground.

Not for Owen and fiancée Louise Bonsall the celebrity party circuit beloved
of the Beckhams.

Although he owns a luxury villa next to the Quinta do Lago golf course in
Portugal, he is still a firm fixture at the Hawarden golf club, where he
and Terry enjoy a few rounds of golf.

Owen's Grade II listed mansion, Lower Saughton Hall, where he and Louise
are raising their daughter Gemma Rose, is close to both sets of parents.

A star from the moment he first kicked a football

EVEN before Michael Owen burst on to the scene as a slender 17-year-old, he
was already being tipped for stardom.

Those who had watched him in youth and reserve team football had no doubt
he was something special. After all, anyone who beats Ian Rush's goals
record at school level has got to be one to watch.

A superbly-taken strike on his Premier League debut against Wimbledon on
May 6 1997 merely confirmed the fact to the rest of the nation.

That 2-1 defeat to the Dons killed off the Reds' title ambitions that
season, but the fans took solace in Owen's dynamic performance. They had
seen the future.

Every season since 1998 Owen has topped the Anfield scoring charts. A PFA
Young Player of the Year title was followed by the European Footballer of
the Year crown.

He scored on his European debut against Celtic in 1997 and went on to
overtake Rush as the club's most potent hitman in European competitions.

At the age of 18 years and 59 days he became the youngest player in the
20th century to wear an England shirt. Three months later he became his
country's youngest scorer. He has scored more goals for England than any
other Liverpool player, beating the record held by Anfield legend Roger Hunt.

He scored his 100th goal in all competitions against West Ham at Upton Park
in 2001 and notched up his Premiership century in style with a hat-trick at
West Brom in 2003.

For Owen and Liverpool FC alike, 2001 was a milestone year as the Reds
roared to a cup treble --powered by his goals. Two matches in particular
showcased his value.

There was his stunning two-goal display that saw off Roma in the Uefa Cup,
followed by the late brace that defeated Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

Owen has always been able to reproduce his club form at international level.

He has hit 26 goals from 50 starts. He made his debut against Chile in
February 1998, but had to wait three more matches for his first goal which
came in Morocco.

Two particular performances on the international stage stand out. His
stunning solo strike against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup turned him
into a global superstar.

Then came his hat-trick in the famous 5-1 demolition of Germany in their
own backyard in 2001.

Still only 24, Bobby Charlton's England scoring record of 49 goals is still
well within his grasp.


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