Owen Hargreaves is an English professional football player, born on January 20, 1981 in Calgary, Canada. His parents are Colin Hargreaves and Margaret, and he is the youngest of their three children. His dad was a footballer and played for Bolton Wanderers’ youth side and also for the Calgary Kickers of the Canadian Soccer League. He has two elder brothers, Darren and Neil, and the former has represented Canada at the youth level. Nicknamed “Hargo”, “OH” and “The German” in the football world, Owen Hargreaves did his primary schooling at Glenbrook Elementary, Andrew Sibbald Elementary and Nickle Junior High, and he later went to Lord Beaverbrook High School.
In 2000, Owen Hargreaves got an opportunity to represent the England Under-21 side and was part of the squad that played against Georgia on August 31, 2000. He was also included in the team that played the friendlies against Italy and Spain. On August 15, 2001, he made his full international debut against the Netherlands, and Owen Hargreaves was selected to represent the senior national side in the 2002 World Cup. He was also named in the squad for the Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup. In 2006, he won the England Player of the World Cup and also England Player of the Year titles for his impressive performance for the national senior side. As of August 2008, Owen Hargreaves has won a total of 42 international caps for England..
Owen Hargreaves spent the early days of his career at the Calgary Foothills youth team. He moved to the Bayern Munich Football Club at the age of 16, where he played for the Under-19 team. During his presence, the club reached the finals of the German Championship in 1998. On August 12, 2000, he appeared in the Bundesliga, highest level of German football league system, for the first time as a substitute in the 83rd minute. His performance in the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid put Owen Hargreaves under the international spotlight. He started playing as a regular first-team player for the club during the 2000-01 season and won the European U-21 Player of the Year as well as the Bravo Award in 2001. During his stint at the club, he was a member of the squad that won the Bundesliga title 4 times (in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006), the Champions League and Intercontinental Cup (both in 2001), the German Football-Federation Cup (in 2003, 2005 and 2006) and the Premiere Ligapokal (2004). He became an integral part of the Bayern Munich squad and played 145 times for the club during his tenure of six years.
In May 2007, Owen Hargreaves signed with the English Premier League club Manchester United for a deal with that was worth approximately £17 million. On August 4, 2007, he made his first appearance for this club in a friendly game against Peterborough United, where Manchester United won 3-1. Owen Hargreaves made his premier league debut in an away match against Manchester City. On March 1, 2008, he netted the first goal for the club in their game against Fulham. He had a spectacular first season at the Premier League and was a member of the squad that emerged victorious with the Premiership and Champions League titles.
During his spare time, Owen Hargreaves enjoys listening to music and considers it as an integral part of his life.
