Michael Owen, nicknamed "the Boy Wonder", is an international footballer who was born on December 14, 1979 in Chester, England. His father, Terry, and brother-in-law, Richie Partridge, also played football professionally. He attended Hawarden High School, and at the age of 14, he went to Idsall School, Shifnal, Shropshire. Michael Owen married Louise Bonsall on June 24, 2005 and has three kids. He holds the distinction of being the youngest English footballer ever to play for England, the youngest to score for the national senior team and the youngest Englishman to play in the World Cup.
In 1997, at the age of 18, Michael Owen started his international career by debuting as an England Under-21 team member in a match against the Greece Under-21 squad. When he was 18 years and 59 days old, he debuted as an English national senior team player in a match against Chile. On May 27, 1998, Michael Owen scored his first goal for England in a game against Morocco. For his impressive performance in the Euro 2000, he was named the World Soccer Player of the Year and was handed the Ballon d'Or award in 2001. He has appeared in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup tournaments as well. By August 26, 2008, Michael Owen had played 89 games for England, scored 40 goals, captained the team 7 times and ranked fourth in the list of England’s all-time top goal scorers. With a tally of 26 goals, he holds the record number of goals by an English footballer in competitive matches, like the World Cup and European Championship, and their qualification games.
The Liverpool Football Club persuaded Michael Owen to attend the Football Association’s (FA) School of Excellence at Lilleshall, and after he graduated from the school in 1995, he joined the club’s Youth Training Scheme. He scored a hat-trick for his team against Manchester United in the final of the 1996 FA Youth Cup. On December 18, 1996, Michael Owen was awarded a professional contract by Liverpool, and in May 1997, he made his debut for the club with a goal against Wimbledon. He scored another goal for the club against Celtic in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup and made his first professional hat-trick against Grimsby Town in the League Cup. For being a joint top scorer with 18 goals in the 1997-98 Premier League, Michael Owen was voted the 1998 Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year. In the same year, he also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the Carling Premiership Player of the Year.
During the 2000-01 season, he was a part of the Liverpool team that won the League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. On December 21, 2001, Michael Owen scored his 100th goal for the club in a match against West Ham United, and he ended the 2001-02 season after helping the Liverpool team win the European Super Cup and the Charity Shield. He completed the 2002-03 season with 30 goals in 54 appearances and the following season with 20 goals in 42 matches.
On August 13, 2004, Michael Owen signed with Real Madrid for a transfer fee of £8 million and scored his first goal, a winner, in the UEFA Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev. In the 2004-05 season, he played 20 games for the club and scored 14 goals, which included his first Spanish league goal against Valencia. On August 31, 2005, Michael Owen signed a four-year contract with Newcastle United, and in December 2005, he scored his first goal for the club in a Carling Cup game against Barnsley. Michael Owen ended the 2005-06 season with 7 goals in 11 matches and the 2007-08 season with 12 goals in 32 appearances. He played in the club’s second game of the 2008-09 season against Bolton Wanderers after coming on as a 53rd minute substitute.
Apart from football, Michael Owen enjoys horse racing and appearing in marketing campaigns. He has been featured in several advertisements and has endorsed renowned products like Nestle Sporties and Persil washing powder. He has also been a brand ambassador for Tissot watches since 1998 and has promoted Jaguar, the car manufacturer, in the past. In 2000, Michael Owen played himself in Hero to Zero, a children’s drama telecasted on BBC One.
