Michael Owen

Michael Owen was one of the most precocious and talented strikers in the history of English football, discovered as a teenager by Liverpool and celebrated worldwide after a historic performance at the 1998 World Cup. Fast, clinical and technically sharp, Owen defined his era as one of the deadliest finishers in European football. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, becoming one of the few Englishmen to win the sport's most coveted individual award. Recurring knee injuries limited his career at its peak, but his legacy as a goalscorer is indisputable. Over the course of his 89 games for the English national team, he scored 40 goals, being the fourth-highest scorer in his country's history.