December 14: Michael Owen Born

Ireland Euro 2012 Jersey

Michael Owen is trying to find his form at Manchester United and work his way back into the England line-up and it was on this day in soccer history in 1979 that the striker was born.

Owen rose through the ranks for the Liverpool Youth Academy and signed a professional contract with the club four days after his 17th birthday and then put his stamp on the domestic game. The young striker scored in his first match and finished tied for the scoring title in his first full season at Liverpool. He followed that up with another top finish in scoring the following season.

But his best season came in 2000/01 when he helped Liverpool to a treble, winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup as well as picking up the Ballon d’Or. He scored 118 goals in 216 appearances for the Reds.

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Owen was making similar showings for the England national soccer team. He made his name known globally with his speed and finishing ability in the 1998 World Cup in France. He has since played at the Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup and is the only English player to score in four major international tournaments.

With the hope of proving himself in Europe, Owen made the move to Real Madrid for a £8 million transfer fee in 2004 and his career stalled. He was frequently used as a substitute and never found his niche at the La Liga side.

He moved back to England with Newcastle United the following year but ongoing injury problems hurt his chances to re-discover his top form. In a move that came ‘out of the blue,’ Owen signed with Manchester United in July of 2009. He still plays a part time role but believes the Red Devils offer him the best chance to find his form and a place on the 2010 World Cup roster.

Soccer Birthdays

1960 – Chris Waddle, English footballer
1963 – Greg Abbott, English football player
1973 – Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-born Canadian soccer player
1976 – Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer
1979 – Michael Owen, English footballer
1980 – Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
1981 – Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer
1982 – Steve Sidwell, English footballer
1984 – Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer
1985 – Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer
1989 – Pedro Silva, Brazilian footballer