Liverpool’s only Ballon d’Or winner at 22, Michael Owen was a phenom, but he can relate to the struggles of a player who just can’t seem to catch a break these days.
Owen’s 17-year career saw plenty of goals, big money moves and 89 appearances for his country.
One thing that held him back from truly fulfilling his potential was injuries. He tore his hamstring at 19, and his body let him down numerous times in the years that followed.
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That’s why Owen has sympathy for a current Liverpool star who has just been sidelined once again.
Conor Bradley is removed from the pitch on a stretcher during Liverpool's Premier League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium
Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images
Michael Owen understands Conor Bradley’s pain after another Liverpool injury
On an otherwise positive-feeling evening in North London, the sight of Conor Bradley being stretchered off was awful to see.
The incident itself was overshadowed by what happened right after.
Arne Slot justified Gabriel Martinelli’s controversial reaction where he shoved Bradley off the pitch, but most saw it as unsportsmanlike behaviour from the Brazilian.
Thoughts on Gabriel Martinelli pushing the injured Conor Bradley? 😡
Martinelli threw the ball at the injured right-back before pushing him, and he wasn’t even sent off!
Gabriel Martinelli during Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League
Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
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Regardless, the real story is another nasty injury for the Liverpool right-back. Bradley left Arsenal on crutches.
After the game, Owen lamented another stroke of misfortune for the Northern Irishman while appearing on Premier League Productions.
He said: “Obviously, [Bradley] being young and getting injured so many times. I know. I felt it myself. It’s the most frustrating thing in the world. I know people think, you’re paid for this, you’re paid for that. It’s when you’re 8 years old, when you’re 10 years old, when you’re 12 years old, you don’t think of money.
“You don’t think of anything else other than this playing against Arsenal, playing in these big games. You just want to play football. All the fame, everything else comes with it. Fantastic. But the main thing you want to do is kick a ball around with your mates.
“And it’s so heartbreaking when that gets taken away from you. Bit of bad luck, whatever it might be. And it’s happened again sadly.”
It really does leave a sour taste seeing a young player with so much potential not able to stay in contention for a prolonged period.
We’re yet to find out the severity of the injury, but it looks like it could be bad. Liverpool may have to look at right-backs if that is the case.
Conor Bradley could be out for a LONG time. Who is your ideal replacement? 🤕
Should Liverpool sign a right-back in January, or rely on the injury-prone Gomez as cover?
Conor Bradley and Leandro Trossard during Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League
Credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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Injuries prevented us from seeing the best of Michael Owen
It sounds ridiculous to say about a player who won the Ballon d’Or before his 23rd birthday, but Owen didn’t reach his full potential.
He says so himself. That first hamstring injury at 19 would be the start of a career-long struggle with fitness that made him change the way he approached the game.
As BBC Sport shared, Owen was never the same.
He said back in 2018: “”Once I did it once I was gone really. I was quick, running in channels, beating people. That’s who I was – compared to the last six or so years when I turned into the only thing I could.
“I was petrified of running into a channel. I just knew I was going to tear a muscle. The worst thing about it is your instinct is to do what you have done all your life but you start thinking: ‘Oh no, don’t.'”
He still had a very respectable career, but he and everyone else will always have to wonder what could have been.
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