One of the top talents in the game today, Liverpool’s Michael Owen needs little introduction. A natural goalscorer, he scored in his Liverpool debut at Wimbledon in 1997and quickly became regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge from England in many years. Though occasionally slowed by injury during the past couple of seasons, Owen has always bounced back. Last May he showed he was back to his best when he scored eight times in four games for Liverpool - including two in the FA Cup final as the Reds came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1.
With thirty goals in his first season in the Premier League, Owen became the youngest player in the 20th century to play for England, making his debut in a friendly against Chile only two months after his eighteenth birthday. The following summer, Owen truly burst onto the international scene with a spectacular performance at the World Cup, scoring one of the tournament’s most memorable goals against Argentina. Currently Owen is playing a large role as England continues qualifying for the next World Cup and his name should remain in his country’s lineup for many years to come.
Just before the FA Cup Final last May, Eurosport sent footwear buyer Chris Flanagan and copywriter Chris Holaday over to England to check out the Umbro XAI, the new state-of-the-art boot Michael Owen is wearing. They traveled to the university in Liverpool where the XAI was being tested and watched Owen demonstrate the boot and all of its features. Afterwards, the guys were fortunate enough to get a few minutes alone with the young superstar and ask him some questions:
How old were you when you first started playing football?
As far back as I can remember I was kicking a ball in the back yard but my first team was when I was seven, playing on an under-10 team.
When did you decide you wanted to pursue it as a career?
I can’t really remember wanting to be anything other than a footballer.
When you were a kid, what team did you follow and what player did you want to be like?
I followed Everton, which is the arch-rival of Liverpool. That’s not so unusual, many other players who have come up through the ranks and played in Liverpool’s first team also supported Everton. Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Steve McManaman- they also followed Everton. My support of Everton all changed, of course, when I came to the Liverpool club at about 13 years old.
If you had not been a football player, what would you be doing now?
I don’t know what I would have been but I know what I would have wanted to be and that would be a golfer. That is probably my main passion outside of football. I’m not saying I would have been good enough at it, but it’s what I would have wanted to do.
Is golf your favorite sport other than football?
Yes. I like playing snooker as well and it certainly doesn’t take as long as playing golf. If I haven’t got a day off it’s easier to play snooker but golf is my favorite.
Who is your favorite athlete (any sport) of all time and why?
Footballwise probably Pele, since he was the greatest player ever. I also admire a lot of boxers and golfers. Obviously Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world and everyone admires him. We’ve got a lot of good English boxers for the size of our country like Naseem Hamed, though he unfortunately got beat recently. People like that I admire because they are one on one in the ring with thousands of people watching. I can’t imagine what that would be like.
Who is the most interesting person that you've met since becoming a professional football player?
I met the Queen when we came back from the World Cup. All of the England team went to Buckingham Palace. That was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been as well.
Tell us about your teammates. Who is the best dresser on the Liverpool squad?
Probably Jamie Redknapp.
What about dancer?
Didi Hamann. He’s German and he’s got some moves.
Who is the team practical joker and what are some of the things he has done?
Jamie Carragher, he’s my roommate. He doesn’t play any practical jokes on me because he knows better but the rest of the team gets it from him. If you do an interview in the paper he scours it for anything you’ve said and you won’t hear the end of it all day. When you’ve got a group of 20 or 30 lads you don’t get away with much.
Do any of your teammates (or you for that matter) have any unusual pre-game rituals?
Personally, I have a couple of superstitions. I always tie my right boot first. And put my right sock and right shoe on first. I don’t know why, I’ve just always done it since I was a kid. I don’t really think it makes any difference but I don’t want to change just in case. On the team, I think everyone prepares for a game in their own individual ways. They all have their own set routines.
What is your favorite fast food restaurant (McDonalds, Burger King, etc.) and what do you order when you go there?
McDonalds. We just stopped there on the way here. If it’s in the morning it’s a bacon and egg McMuffin. If it’s during the day it’s going to be a Big Mac.
Where do you think you will go on holiday this summer?
The last couple of years we’ve gone to Barbados and found it really nice. It’s out of the way and quiet. I’ve been to Florida once, three years ago, seen Disney World and played a bit of golf. That was also a good holiday. We’ll go somewhere for ten days but haven’t decided for sure.
What CD is in your stereo right now?
I like a lot of different music, anything that is in the charts. I don’t know. Lionel Richie has always been one of my favorites.
What kind of car do you drive?
Jaguar
Have you been anywhere in the United States other than Florida?
I’ve been to Dallas as well. We played in the Dallas Cup when I was about ten. We didn’t win but it’s a very good tournament with a good standard of play.
What advice would you give young American players?
I think football is getting a bit more popular over there than it ever has been. It’s getting bigger and bigger and obviously the World Cup helped that. I think there are opportunities there for anyone if the players are good enough. We’ve certainly got a few Americans here in England and you see Americans playing in other countries as well. I think if anyone works hard and becomes a good enough football player then certainly the top clubs in Europe will be chasing them.
In the Premier League, which game do you most look forward to? Is it a local rivalry like against Everton or maybe someone else?
There are so many different types of games. We played Evberton the other day and we won in the last kick of the game, 3-2. That’s always a big rivalry. Man United are the best team so everyone likes playing against them. You compete against them and see how good you are compared to the best.
When Liverpool is the visiting team, which club’s fans give you the hardest time?
Everton probably, or Man United. Everton are the local rivals and you go to their ground and there are 40,000 of them singing. It’s nice when you can beat them and quiet them down.
Liverpool certainly has some great fans. It must be quite moving to be out on the pitch and have them all singing "You’ll Never Walk Alone".
It is. It’s a special place to be. I think that anyone who goes to Anfield for the first time comes away with a lot of memories. We played Barcelona the other day and I don’t think there were many atmospheres better than when we played them. Before the game it was fantastic. We were getting changed in the changing room and we could hear the singing outside. It’s just a fantastic atmosphere, especially when there is a good game about to take place. The fans really get excited.
What was it like when you put on the England shirt and represented your country for the very first time?
It was brilliant. I think I was 18 at the time and we played Chile at Wembley. We lost 2-0 and it wasn’t the best debut but it was certainly a great moment to represent your country in the country’s most popular sport. It was a lifelong ambition that I had filled. Every time I put on the England shirt now it just gets better.
How do you predict England will do at the 2002 World Cup?
We’ve got to get there first and until a few weeks ago we weren’t doing so well. But we’ve won the last two games and that’s put us back in there with a very good chance. We expect to get there because we believe that we are good enough. If we do get there then obviously, like any tournament, we go in with dreams of winning it. That is the ultimate dream for any footballer, to win the World Cup. It will be tough because it is in Japan and Korea with weather different than what we are used to. But certainly I think we can do well once we get there.
So far during your career, where is the most interesting place you have traveled to play football?
Probably Barcelona. I think that stadium holds 110,00 people or something. When we played them it was fantastic. It was a great atmosphere and a great stadium. The noise, everything. We drew nil-nil and managed to keep them quiet a bit but I couldn’t imagine getting beat 4-0 or something because their fans would have been deafening.
What is the best shirt you have gotten when exchanging with an opponent after a game?
I’ve got quite a lot of shirts. We tend to swap after every game for the national team and sometimes for Liverpool as well. Off the top of my head I’ve got Hagi from Romania and Luis Enrique from when we played against Barcelona recently. A lot of the players I swap with are mainly defenders because you tend to swap with the player you mark.
Before your playing career is over, what would you like to accomplish?
Well I think winning the World Cup is the biggest thing you can ever do. I don’t think that is an unrealistic goal but you have to be very lucky to achieve that. I think winning the league with Liverpool is a great ambition of mine. To win the league and be best in your country would be brilliant. We have two cup finals to look forward to this year as well. If we could win them then it would make a great season for us. (ed. note – Liverpool did indeed win both the FA and UEFA Cups)
What are some of the technical features you look for in your shoes?
I think when you are playing you don’t want to have anything worrying you. You are on the pitch and to have everything perfect on you feet equipment-wise is the main thing you look for. You need to have traction when you’re running, it has to be light, and durable. And if it gives you a good grip when you’re kicking the ball that is all you can ask for. Certainly Umbro are striving to get all of these things perfects and hopefully we got another step closer to having the perfect boot.
You have been involved with the testing for the new XAI boot. What are the comparisons and contrasts between it and the Mach Speed, which you used to wear?
The differences on the XAI are the fit, the comfort, it’s actually built to fit the bottom of your foot rather than just being flat. It’s much more comfortable. The outsole gives much more traction. In my position I’m doing a lot of twisting and turning at hopefully quite fast speeds so I need to have a lot of grip. We’ve changed the outsole from a six-stud to an eight-stud design and that has proven to give you more grip. And the other thing, the main difference, is the grip when you kick the ball. Whether you play in goal or in attack, the grip on the football is the main thing. It’s perfect as far as grip on the ball goes. Now it’s just down to your own abilities.
You play most of your matches in a soft ground shoe. Do you ever use a regular molded shoe?
Yea well as you know the football season is mainly over the winter period in England so 99 percent of the time there is softness in the ground. If there is sun in the winter than maybe you wear you molded boots.
Do you go through a particular number of shoes in a year?
I’d say in a year I’d go through four or five pairs of boots. Depending on the amount of games. We’ve played about 50 games already this season. My boots would last an entire season if I wanted them to, I’ve never had any problems with them, but it’s just nice to wear a brand new pair of boots once in awhile.
Going back to the superstitions, do you have certain shoes you’ll keep wearing?
Well if I play well in a certain pair of boots I’m reluctant to change for awhile. Or if I have a bad game, then I think maybe it’s time to swap. If I’m playing well then I won’t swap my boots for awhile.
regardz
nym
hala madrid
