A Career Ending Decision - Michael Owen 7

When, a young, bright, short English lad, more than a decade ago, was seen around sporting the greatest red kit off all time , in the grounds of Merseyside, he was tipped to be something really special. Special did he certainly turn out to be , only for one decision ,, a big big decision to put his fortunes into back gear. This is the story of a player who could've been 'The New God of Anfield' but turned out to be a mere 'Galactico Sub'. Potentially he was to become the leading goal scorer for England , he certainly would've but he has no one to blame but himself and his injury prone body and incredibly flawed decision making for him not even being amongst the top 3 on the England scoring charts.Yes, this is the story of Michael Owen, from the greatest ever goal scoring machine to a mere injury plagued player, his story maybe sad for a few, certainly not that sad after all.

In 1997 when Owen broke through to the Liverpool first team, it marked start of a really special player with the most gifted goal scoring technique. He scored on his debut in May 1997 and was their leading goal scorer from '97-'02. He helped them to the The Treble and alongside an ever maturing Steven Gerrard was seen as the future of England's most decorated club. His efforts won him the Ballon d'or in '01 his first major personal honor and most definitely his last as well.

The hunger for success is good quality , but sometimes it does prove to be detrimental. Owen made the biggest decision of his career and decided to quit the Anfield outfit. Real Madrid's galacticos came calling, Owen went. 8 Million pounds, a legend in the making - GONE. His period at the Spanish capital can be defined as a waste of his peak years , with this started the sinking of a career which never reached the heights it was expected to.

His injuries had always been a problem once he left Merseyside , most famously , world cup 2006 when limped off in the first half 0f a match and remained sidelined for a very long time.

In the mean while he had left Madrid to mark an expected to the premier league. On 24th August 2005, he made the move, this time Newcastle United being his team. He joined them as their record signing for a staggering 12 million pounds. On 10 April '07, a year after joining, Owen made his first appearance for the club. A month later he was stretched off in game against Watford. After some time, Freddy Shepherd who was the chairman of the club announced that Owen could leave and demanded Owen to show the club some loyalty. So did happen as Owen committed his immediate future to the club . But the problems were never to end, in 2007, Owen suffered from hernia problem and required surgery. As a result, he had to do something which he had got accustomed to over the years- watch from sidelines.

2008-09 saw Michael Owen play more games than he had played over the past 3 years , combined. Great signs for him, great signs for the club, all of this was to end in what may be described as a complete shocker. A season in Newcastle United football history which saw them being relegated, Owen tried to help, but he was far past of his days in the red. In January , Owen was offered a contract extension which he rejected and decided to leave the club in the summer as a free agent. While Owen's future remained a major doubt, Newcastle's Premier League status became a bigger one. Ultimately,Owens former club enjoyed their league campaign over a decade and were arguably deserving champions, the toon went down but Owen decided to remain Up.

In 2009-10 Owen was a free agent, he made it clear that he wanted to remain in England and fight for honors. On 3rd July 2009 he made a decision that sent shockwaves through the whole of Merseyside. Liverpool's lad, their very own Michael Owen had decided to do something no scouser would've thought about even in his worst nightmares, he joined present champions and Liverpool's biggest rivals Manchester united on a 2 year deal.

The season started very well for Owen , as he was scoring for fun helping his team and himself to his first ever MANCHESTER DERBY victory. he even scored a hat trick in the champions league, but was eventually struck by injury again. Owen said that he wanted to win the league , therefore he joined United.

We love him alot but we cant help but not forgive him for what eh did. The respect and love will always remain, but without a doubt its got lesser than what it was. Finally to conclude, i would say that as Owen sits in his locker today with his injured foot, and i write about him here, one thing is for certain, he isnt winning the league anytime soon.