From the initial highs of bursting into the England team at France '98 to the lows of a stuttering injured plagued end to his playing career.
But with the amount of injuries suffered and therefore games missed, it surely further inpresses as to what a remarkable scoring record 'the boy wonder' actually had. 40 international goals and 4th on the all time England list, his status as an England great is assured. Add into the nature of some of those goals- the wonder goal v Argentina, the hat trick in the 5-1 v Germany and the two late goals in Geneva v Argentina again!
The class that has come with Michael's reputation and career is also a credit to the mans attitude that doesn't seem to occur nowadays within the England team- Rooney, Terry & Cole to name a few. Making sure he was only making headlines on the back page of the papers and not the front.
Despite ending his career at Stoke which is possibly the least glamorous club he's played for, it certainly hasn't been the trend throughout his career.
Starting at Liverpool where he not only scored countless goals- including a late double to single handedly win the 2001 FA Cup v Arsenal (as well as helpijg to win the league and UEFA Cup in the same season). A move to Real Madrid followed and despite it being a short career abroad his impact from the bench was noticeable and lured Newcastle into brining the England no10 back to these shores however his injuries were forever becoming an ever present feature in his game. This not only affected him at club level but meant going into the 2006 World Cup under prepared and under trained. This in all likelihood led to the knee ligament injury suffered in the group game v Sweden which would be his last England game at a major tournament. He did come back and continue his stop-start Newcastle career before an unlikely relegation paved the way for a move to Manchester United. A last minute winner in the derby v City endeared him to the Old Trafford fans but the lack of consistency with both performances and injury in a strong attacking squad meant limited playing opportunities.
To end a career like Owen has had at Stoke is somewhat an anti climax, in what many thought may be the rebirth of the striker career who's pace may have faded but clinical finishing never had.
Perhaps he may well have lasted a few more years at the lower levels of the game and perhaps bled a few pounds from clubs who wanted to make a marquee signing. But with other life challenges calling and no guaranteed contract elsewhere, going out in the Premier League is the least Owen deserves and must be respected for knowing when he can no longer live up to the highest level.
You can think what may have happened if he had been treated more carefully in his early career or if future medical advancements had been available during his initial injured seasons. International success could have followed, with that England's all time scoring record would have surely been broken. But to have stayed on the rails despite these setbacks, not only in his professional life but his personal life also, deserves recognition in itself.
So surely the only word to describe the career of one of England's finest strikers is 'Legend'.
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