“It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire from professional football at the end of this season. Having progressed through the ranks at Liverpool to make my first team debut at 17, before embarking upon spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, not to mention representing my country on 89 occasions, I now feel it is the right time to bring the curtain down on my career. I have been very fortunate in that my career has taken me on a journey that like many young players starting out, I could only have dreamt of.”

It’s a real shame to see him hang up his boots as once upon a time this young man ignted the touch paper in the premier league, his pace and finishing were second to none.  Such a shame that the past 5-6 years have been blighted by injury, and the world has been robbed of his talents.  thanks for all the memories Michael….. especially that goal against Argentina……. enjoy your retirement………

Glenn Hoddle handed Owen his England debut and took him to the 1998 World Cup, where he scored a stunning goal against Argentina. The former England coach told Sky Sports News that, in hindsight, he could easily have started Owen in the first game of the tournament.

“We were very excited in bringing him into the squad at 18 years of age. We had seen what he could do with his blistering pace. His finishing was incredible for a young man, his coolness in the 18-yard box. A lot of players that age got a little bit fraught and nervous, but he seemed to get calmer and calmer with every chance. We knew he was going to announce himself at that World Cup. There was a big clamour for him to start the tournament, but we felt there was a lot of pressure on the kid. But, getting to know him over the years, looking back I would probably have thought the kid can handle it, he has that mentality.”

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believes Owen was always destined to reach the pinnacle of football and enjoyed playing alongside the striker at Liverpool.

“He was a dream for you. He used to make bad balls look good. When he started to join the first team training at 15, 16, you knew it would be a short cut into the first team. You knew he was going to play for England and go right to the top. He had a fantastic career, but the injuries stopped him from breaking all the England records he would have done.”

Former Liverpool midfielder, and later manager, Graeme Souness worked with Owen at Newcastle and he told Sky Sports News that he was the ‘best striker out there’ in his younger days.

“Michael has had his injury problems, which are well documented, but it doesn’t get away from the fact that he is an all-time great. He’s up there with the great English strikers you want to name in history. In his young days, he was simply the best, he would score all types of goals. I just think that Michael as a young man was the best striker out there and anyone who had him at that time would have been very lucky indeed.”