Former England striker Michael Owen On this day in 2013, he announced that he would retire at the end of the season.
Owen, who was 33 at the time, signed a one-year contract with Stoke after they broke up. Manchester United Last summer, however, his time at the Potteries was hampered by a hamstring injury that contributed to his decision to call it a day.
Owen has scored 40 goals in 89 matches for England – he was the sixth-most goalscorer for his country’s men’s team at the time – and played at the highest level in 2018. LiverpoolReal Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester United.
“I am very proud to have announced my intention to retire,” Owen said on March 19, 2013.
“I am very lucky that my career has taken me on a journey I can only dream of.
“I feel now is the right time to bring the curtain down on my career.”
Owen debuted at Liverpool as a teenager and made his debut in England’s 1998 World Cup squad at just 18 years old.
His unforgettable solo goal against Argentina in that tournament made him a world superstar.
Owen became the champion in club football by scoring 220 goals. Premier LeagueThree-time League Cup winner, as well as FA Cup and UEFA Cup.
The pinnacle of his club career came with Liverpool in 2001, where he scored 158 goals in 297 games, including a late double in the Reds’ 2-1 FA Cup final win against Arsenal in 2001, before moving to Real Madrid in 2004.
Owen returned to the Premier League with Newcastle in August 2005 and, after four injuries at Tyneside, was transferred to Manchester United on a free transfer, winning his only Premier League title at Old Trafford in 2011.
He was named European Footballer of the Year in 2001 – the first Englishman to receive the award since Kevin Keegan in 1979.