The Wonder-kid TOO QUICK for His Own Good

In 1998 there wasn’t a more exciting teenager in world football than Michael Owen. The raw, unmatched pace and confidence in front of goal, made him unplayable in the late 90s, and with the Golden Ball in his 21-year-old hands, it seemed as if he had only just begun. However, injuries took a toll on him and in the final 6 years of his career, Owen's skills gradually declined. Having played for the rivalrous Reds of both Manchester and Liverpool, his loyalties have been questioned, but while in Merseyside, he was one of the games greatest marksmen.
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:18 - Youth-level-attention
0:41 - The Star of the Scousers & signing his first professional contract
1:22 - A chance to shine in the first-team
2:45 - 1998 World Cup & 'THAT' Argentina goal
4:37 - 1998/99 season
5:17 - Hampered by the hamstring
6:13 - EURO 2000
6:46 - Hellbent on Scouse success & a memorable treble
8:37 - Ballon d'Or & transfer rumours
9:31 - 2002 World Cup as the main striker
10:17 - Still no Premiership title
11:02 - Move to Madrid
12:05 - Criticised in Spain
12:39 - A cruel end to his stint as a Galáctico
13:20 - Newcastle
14:00 - World Cup woes & 'club vs country' aftermath
15:23 - Magpies demoted & controversial Manchester move
16:40 - Time as a Red Devil
17:15 - A last dance with Stoke City
17:40 - Retirement
17:49 - Concluding his story
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#owen #liverpool #theretroroute

[@sagarranjan4585]

Scored against Brazil and Argentina in WC. Hat trick vs Germany. Won ballon do'r despite playing in uefa cup for most of the year. Twice PL golden boot winner by the age of 19. Imagine Mbappe getting injured in the next match and only managing around 50-60 goals in the next 10 years of his career. That was Owen's career.

[@mrjones29]

And that's why he's a legendary footballer.

[@fightingforce8498]

Kylian already won the world cup.

[@hassanalkhawaher3161]

The problem is! The Ballon Do’r not deserved! RAUL GONZALES deserve it more! And also for figo in 2000! Raul deserve it as well! But still Michael Owen to me he is the best English striker alongside Gary Lineker!

[@timothyodeyale6565]

@@fightingforce8498 its england, we dont win the world cup

[@yetekt8025]

@@timothyodeyale6565 ya’ll only that because you always disappoint

[@Jack-ni4ft]

Growing up watching Owen scoring that legendary goal against Argentina, he was the poster boy of English football. Such a shame about his injuries. Great video!

[@gruphenio6787]

He was still a great goal scorer, his pace was simply ruined by injuries - and it literally only took a glancing tackle to injure him in his later years

[@Simon_and_Lami]

Also if he played today woth the science and medical knowledge he could have lasted better with laod management

[@FootballDrawn]

Younger viewers don't remember the PRIME Michael Owen. It's such a shame how his career went downward from 24 onwards. Injuries and failure to adapt his game from a pacey striker to one who couldn't depend on it eventually led to his demise. From a neutral, thank you for the football memories ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽

[@moumenrezaei1330]

indeed

[@sbtgamil5536]

love your content bro

[@jrothweldo7]

Michael Owen was done at 21 when he fucked his hamstring up when we played leeds

[@gregoriuspascalis500]

To be fair, it's rare that a striker can achieve success without both speed and strength. Inzaghi is the only one I know.

[@FootballDrawn]

@@gregoriuspascalis500 The great Pippo Inzaghi, who blessed me with a ton of memories as a Milan fan, as un-talented as he was :))

[@Midtable1881]

I had the honour of meeting Owen at a book signing, I thanked him for that late winner vs City.

[@tobyadkins591]

I remember being 7 or 8 in 98 and Owen was THE player in England. He was the reason I got into football. Broke my heart when he left Liverpool but he didn’t deserve the coating he got for the rest of his career. Still a legend in my eyes. Will never forget that match against Argentina or the FA cup final win over Arsenal

[@Marcus-ru1ht]

He deserved it. When he went to Madrid we all wished him well even though it broke our hearts. When he signed for Newcastle and didn't return, we still applaud him everytime he returned to Anfield. But when he went to United, every thing he did for Liverpool was erased.

[@regiment589]

@@Marcus-ru1ht Benitez never wanted him. End of story.

[@Marcus-ru1ht]

@@regiment589 LOL. Wow you are a joke just like Owen himself.

[@Goes.without.saying]

Cant work out his age 😂😂😂😂

[@nmarcus7233]

Owen broke out as a star so rapidly he never got to technically develop further or rest as much as he should’ve. Que a ton of injuries and a somewhat one dimensional playing style that didn’t evolve with the times. Young players need to be nurtured/developed correctly no matter how brilliant they are.

[@fivestarman5130]

As a Liverpool fan I do feel bad for Michael Own since its always horrible to see a generational talents career get decimated by injuries. However, joining United is unforgivable. Literally any other club would've been fine but to see a former Liverpool legend join our biggest rivals (even if he was past his prime) is something a lot of Liverpool supporters, including myself can't overlook

[@StoneyHoliday]

My favorite english player of all time. He played like a south American when he was in his young prime. You didn't see english players play with that kind of skill at that pace.

[@streetspirit956]

Owen was just so good. I truly believe if he hadnt have suffered that hamstring injury against Leeds, he would have gone on to be one of the all time greats and the first English all time great for many years. He still scored goals after that injury but he just lost that X factor

[@lahsport9259]

It just shows you how fast a star can burn. Love the videos!

[@recruitmentch]

Owen is only 4 years older than me and when he 'burst onto the scene', my parents had sent me to the UK from Italy to study at an English school. Evidently English football wasn't great at that time, and financially, it was really only Man Utd and then the rest picking up scraps. Owen deserved a better team at Liverpool in that period. Had they truly invested, they wouldn't have had to wait until a few years ago for a first premier league title. It is a real shame that injuries and poor transfers quickly began to overshadow the quality he possessed in his young years. 10:05. If you go back and watch the build up to Rivaldo's goal from the near the brazil's corner flag, you'll notice that Beckham's insecurity about his injured foot had him duck out of a 50/50 challenge that allowed Brazil to start that attack.

[@bagueendy]

The best football channel there is, always happy to see one of your vids in my feed, keep up the great work .

[@davidembacher1682]

Owen was just electrifying to watch as a youngster, that performance against Argentina says it all. Such a tough break for him, with those injuries. At least he’s taken something positive from it, as it’s probably why he places top priority on injury prevention with his racehorses, having been there himself.

[@Adam-oy4ix]

Not given even close to the credit he deserves. The only reason for his decline was injuries. But before that, he was frightening. The quickest guy whenever he stepped on any field, with amazing confidence and incredible finishing. People remember the Newcastle or Man Utd Michael Owen. But if you saw Liverpool's Michael Owen in his prime, you'd know that none of these young forwards today even come close. Even after the injuries, he still found ways to score goals, but he was not the same player.

[@TheMixCurator]

Exceptional work as always

[@rayphal]

I love your Intro! It's like an iconic mission where we have to Tage a look at every legendary Footballer of the beautiful game. Just like a Retro Route!

[@rob7146]

One of the best football channels

[@torres291]

Pérez once said Makelele was a horrible signing. Real Madrid is so ridiculous to tbh

[@pandaman1331]

He was obviously never forgotten by us

[@metallicbigtoe3949]

You're so good at this that you can make a video about Michael Owen interesting, good job, really enjoyed it 👍

[@Liam.2000]

How is Owen’s story not interesting? From world prospect and Ballon D’or winner to mediocre Stoke striker.

[@MrReese]

Blaming Owen for moving on after several years is kind of ridiculous in today's football landscape. These days players move on after 1-2 seasons when it's obvious that they perform better than the club as a whole. He was absolutely brilliant and injuries sadly cut his prime way short.

[@afunnyusername5599]

injuries destroyed him as a footballer, but he was incredible when he broke through. So sad the way his career went, and he's ended up not really loved by any fan group except maybe England fans. Moving to United burned bridges with Liverpool fans, he was mid at Real - I doubt their fans care about him, he admitted he never wanted to go to Newcastle, after Utd he became a club ambassador for Liverpool so i guess they no longer like him, and he was awful at Stoke. So often forgotten but he should be a cautionary tale about overplaying kids. He was so good so young that he played more than he should, and that seems to have had a really negative impact on his longevity. great young player, boring ass pundit though.

[@mrjones29]

As a Man Utd fan I can say after Robbie Fowler, Owen is the greatest Liverpool player in the last 25 years I've seen playing at the height of his powers. Very good video essay and well covered.

[@theretroroute]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed!

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

Salah and mane are far better

[@mrjones29]

@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716 No point being a "bitter Red", he doesn't play anymore to anger you.

[@luxmanguz9822]

Fowler was better zan salah .. mane & owen..

[@BraveInstance]

@@mrjones29 Salah has now surpassed both on goals scored for Liverpool and he's not even a striker.

[@s_ren_]

Great video! Still in disbelieve of how you only have 13k subs your videos and storytelling is SO good. Big up, never stop!

[@theretroroute]

Thanks! Definitely not stopping

[@TroupeGoal]

Whenever I think of a commentator screaming an imminent scorer's name, I think of "OWEN!"

[@brar1320]

Everybody, who is watched this video and enjoyed it, should like and comment to increase the reach of this wonderful channel. It is very important for the algorithm. This content deserves more viewership.

[@michael7949]

Great video one of the most underrated football channels out there. Could you do Dennis bergkamp next

[@theretroroute]

There are a few that I’m working on at the moment but I will definitely get to this soon. Keep an eye on the Community tab polls for future videos. Thanks for the support!

[@peacefull5337]

@@theretroroute Gianluigi Lentini would be very interesting!

[@shubhamx5102]

I only remember Owen when he scored the deciding goal against man City in a 4-3 win when he played for united ❤️👑

[@cgopie1]

If you said that Owen was the Mbappe of his time, it would be an insult to Owen. Owen was quite possibly the most gifted footballer of his age of all time. Only Messi, R9 and C.Ronaldo would be close to him at the age of 23. Owen was so fast, but his first touch in controlling a ball whilst running at full speed was legendary, and I've never seen another player do it as well as him. His finishing was ice cold, and was actually incredible in the air despite his size. But for me, the most important attribute in football is your ability to play every game, and that is one thing Owen lacked, due to his persistent injuries which cut him down in his prime. Liverpool fans will tell you about their great history, and fair enough as they've won so much. But despite all their trophies throughout their history, they've only ever had one Ballon D'Or winner in their history and that was Michael Owen.

[@jamesmckeon9139]

Mbappe is better

[@mrjones29]

Jimmy Greaves at 17 would've wiped the floor with any teenage superstar then and now including all the names you listed and did it on boggy crap pitches where tackling/hacking from behind was the normal way in the 1950s and 1960s. And as you talk about gifted players - no one was more gifted than George Best in his teens on the ball, and on the same crappy pitches.

[@jayanthony2414]

Just because Owen is the only Balondor winner it doesn't mean he was the only player worthy of winning it Dalglish,Gerrard,Suarez,Torres,Salah you've had a mare with that terrible attempt at making whatever point you was attempting to

[@i_know_youre_right_but]

That’s a complete lie lmfaooo Owen was a good player when he was young but he was nowhere near the level of CR7, Messi and Fat Ronaldo. You are deluded to think thay

[@suarez4587]

In 2006 world cup he was my hero.... I cried when he fell down....i dont know why i liked him a lot .. But when i was watching his play i feel some comfortable like thing...

[@JohnJohn-cu7nk]

Can't believe the hype over Mbappe. This kid was lightyears ahead of him.Same owed but a prolific goal scorer

[@leighfletcher7675]

Owen was good, was never light years ahead of mbappe.

[@eppiechan5673]

After those terrible injuries, Michael Owen could switch his career to be an actor for example. I'd keep supporting no matter his identity is. He is so extraordinary, & also lovely! 🤩🤩🤩

[@caolanmcmanus1726]

Always a legend

[@MarianoFreyreX]

Here is southamerica, we all were fans of Owen. I remember everybody wants to run like him. His definition was superb.

[@paulthrutner9114]

I'm from North Wales and we were hearing mutterings of Owen before he was professional. In the local paper he was already sponsored by Umbro and semi famous before making his debut. The trouble is back then squads were a lot smaller so players were regularly overplayed thus being more injury prone. Liverpool essentially ruined his career.

[@ronin9296]

That’s what I was thinking, Liverpool must have overused a teenager and worn him down

[@songkok7hitam]

He never falls, he just got old and injured.

[@badsolja1]

A lot of his goal are unbelievable Tight angles almost no other striker known to man aside from RUUD VAN Nistrlooy or Van basten can score from Most players would cross or pass from that Angle including Messi and cr7 Yet unfortunately these American “soccer” content creator say he wasn’t a ballon D’Or worthy leading this new generation who never watched him play to believe that nonsense He was an exceptional talent speed first touch dribble agility accuracy What a player he was

[@shawnevans26]

I remember watching Michael Owens!! I thought he was unstoppable in his prime, but it was short. But for a few years WOW!!!

[@MrThedonhead]

8 years isn't bad

[@getthefekir5040]

Growing up watching Micheal Owen made me realise if you score one more goal than your opponent you win

[@DanA-st2ed]

quality work and production values

[@svenwork3511]

he is the reason why i play football as striker and wore 10 for all my competition jersey

[@dscwac396]

Guy was injured pretty much injured permanently from 23 till he retired

[@adamlabbancz9006]

Why do I feel like this exact video is remade every year

[@randybobandy7236]

Hamstrings is the one word needed really

[@ZoltanHercules]

The ruptured hamstring ruined him. They didn’t operate back then. Natural healing.

[@emanuelb4289]

Diego Milito

[@ancientbriton8262]

For me, Micheal Owen will Always be one of England and Liverpool greatest players, he was faster than a Gazelle with great ball skills to match 😊😊😊

[@thefatfarang9706]

Hey mate, I would love to help you with some of your research. If that's possible?

[@rikiputrawan3646]

the man who made me fall in love with liverpool and in the other side he's the man that i hate cause he make a move to manchester united

[@henrykariemu2047]

So sorry for his injuries

[@frankiewelch8306]

Not sure about any other lfc fan but i certainly can't forgive him for joining united.

[@greenscorpio1967]

all good things come to an end

[@Taznoor1984]

You should do a video on Robbie Fowler.

[@007Fusiion]

It’s kinda the same story as Owen

[@chrishines5075]

The last British player to win the balon dor. Prime Owen was feared , injuries finished him.

[@soyentak5076]

god i love those France 98 red England jerseys

[@x_flies]

I was a teenager when I first found out about him. It was the goal against Argentina.

[@fullspeedaheadbarcelona6502]

Did I hear that Milan was the fashion capital?

[@AP12820]

He was the reason I became a fan of Liverpool

[@ouloveme]

I was always waiting for him to come back to Liverpool after Real Madrid.

[@bsnhbksan]

8 good/great seasons, 8 rubbish ones. Was never the same after doing his hamstrings in at Leeds.

[@joshualoh499]

As a Liverpool fan, I can tell you that he's far from a Red's legend. Liverpool fans see Divock Origi as a legend wayyyyyy before Owen.

[@regiment589]

Zealots "logic".

[@petercherry2165]

I’m sure you could have done better your self

[@princeflip7622]

Owen wasn’t taught how to pace his runs. It took a toll on his ankles

[@jiyefuuu]

Chicharito at man utd was half of prime owen

[@sonic.garden]

Both him and ole combined was like 60% of prime Owen!

[@gazof-the-north5708]

Although he peaked at a young age, his career still landed him.... 1 Premier League Title 1 FA Cup 3 League Cups 1 Uefa Cup 1 Uefa Super Cup 2 Charity/Community Shields 1 Ballon d'or Thats more than a lot of players ever get! Michael Owen sure didnt do bad.........though I bet it gutted him that Liverpool won the UCL the year *AFTER* he left!

[@giodhuha6771]

My brother used to misspell the word "microwave" with "michaelowen".

[@rezarfar]

This guy was the best striker in the world for 2 years, but he was unfortunately made of glass. He'd shatter when touched, in character creation Owen was basically: Speed: 99 Shooting power: 99 Dexterity: 99 Skill: 99 Durability: 0 Glass cannon.

[@giancarlocrumps7564]

People forget how good he was Before his peek.

[@thegreatgrumdini]

Michael Owen had a career most players can only dream of R9 gets a break for being injured but Owen doesn't He was a top tier striker for many years

[@aldobonaso3481]

Because R9 came back from his injuries and won a world cup...amongst other things. He didn't disappear like Owen did. Plus R9 was a far more complete footballer, he lost some pace after his injuries, just like Owen did, but R9 could rely on all his other fantastic skills and vision to keep him relevant. Whereas Owen, losing his pace, lost 70% of his skillset...

[@gilbertkhoshaba3956]

Unfortunately clubs then they didn’t know focused in there training on fitness and having a good fitness coach, if own fitness training was at the same level of now a days he would’ve been something else

[@MrVvulf]

Imagine the career Owen and Ronaldo R9 could have had with zero long term injuries.

[@johnve8327]

How is it possible that under rated and Owen could be in the same sentence…?

[@rob7146]

Can you do a video about Bojan Krkic?

[@theretroroute]

It’s coming this week!

[@rob7146]

@@theretroroute really? I'm hyped. Thanks a lot for your work...

[@rob7146]

@@theretroroute the Rise and Fall of Marko Marin could be interesting too. He was one of the rising stars in Germany ten years ago.

[@adammagembe7644]

​@@theretroroute do a video about Sebastian Diesler or the Bayern Munich team of the nineties

[@slinkiegirl2001]

at the end of the day MO will be remembered as the injury prone footballer, newcastle supporters still hate him

[@joshbrown3439]

Didn’t he claim he wanted to stay though, and Benitez was happy to let him go to Madrid?

[@waynem4791]

Still my favourite striker. He had bad luck that's all. Of course he should have stayed with Liverpool but that's life. Rio Ferdinand says Owen would be without a doubt England's top scorer of all time if it was not for injuries.

[@harjonotanuwira8226]

How I wish I could go back to 1995-96

[@jacobburtonswfc]

Yes and knowing what I know now

[@nightmareneighbour7700]

We’re was he in Istanbul

[@skiptracerbob]

Tremendous

[@frasereldred2906]

Molly world had me like a geek

[@mikemurphy8996]

Great player. Small players break down faster though.

[@Putnamsmif]

His main problem was that for the majority of his career he played in a team who were total dogshit. When Liverpool were so entitled and arrogant they still thought they were the best team in the world...

[@MrThedonhead]

He was a great player like he said he just had his prime earlier then others and achieved more then most. From 17 to 25 was one of the best in the world,thats a long time to be at the top! People forget how exciting he was to watch esp for England, in pubd everytime he got the ball you knew he would do something. Good to see people remember how good he was,necer understood the shit he gets, but i guess thats bitter scousers for you, akways bitter and hating on something,they even hate the Beatles! If only he came to Man Utd first where he would of been looked after like Giggs and not been relied on so much ,same as Gerrard. i love the way Ferguson rescued him and he was always friends with the man utd lads

[@terrypaulbeyer5862]

All the great Liverpool players at that time had loads of injuries ???

[@sarvankerai468]

Dont forget that owen played against world class defenders, strikers nowadays are not world class as defenders are not as good. Just imagine, just imagine prime time owen playing against Harry Maguire, and the rest of the defenders, only 1 winner. Mbappe against Argentina defenders, Brazilian defender, England defenders, Portugal defender, Milan Defenders, arsenal, Man utd defenders, Barcelona, real Madrid defender, Mbappe has no chance,

[@jk7878]

Ballon d'or winner 99.9999% players will never win this... Nothing to do with leaving lfc. He got injured badly and thats a problem in any sport. Look at gazza happened to him too

[@bolonez90coc53]

Football genius dies young

[@Spmo89]

Liverpool really had a horrible doctor team back then. Klopp owns liverpool forever

[@ronin9296]

Liverpool should be brought to court of law for over using a teenager and wearing down his physical health. Most clubs would use a teenager player wisely and let him adjust till he’s not that tender teen anymore

[@Marcus-ru1ht]

He made one wrong move, that's joining United. From there onwards, he was a nobody. Fool.

[@Mmmm2217]

Now I know why Health Insurance is so expensive It’s to compensate Football Players 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@kryten6569]

Against probably the best defence and keeper Argentina Owen left them for dead

[@justhurricane5331]

To be fair, if he hadn't gone to Man United Liverpool fans would still love him ultimately.

[@ayushman8878]

Man went from unplayable to literally unplayable

[@user-we9xf3bf1p]

4:30 gemma?????

[@PrivateEye121]

I won a grand when he scored that hatrick against newcastle I was rubbing my hands more than he did, & I'm a Geordie He was the worst striker that Newcastle bought in the 00s

[@regiment589]

Hardly, 30 goals in 79 app.

[@dondamon4669]

Owen was a great player and underrated

[@lucwijngaard8413]

He's just not a computer

[@gabrielaristoi7451]

Good speed merchant, undeserved Golden Ball, let's say Pato like player (medicore without his speed, injury prone). At his prime? Guy on Mbappe level.

[@tomico9154]

Still one more Prem than Gerrard though.

[@davidbarlee4722]

The biggest mistake he made was signing for Real Madrid. He was always going to struggle for game time because of Raul, Owen was the better player but Real wouldn’t drop Raul because he was their Spanish home grown star. Although Owen spent to long on the bench that season he scored more goals per min on the pitch than any other Real player but they still wouldn’t pick him to start …. Political club Madness.

[@nonoasailo9690]

Remember Derrick Rose.