* **Years:** 1997-2004
* **Appearances:** 297
* **Goals:** 158
* **Trophies:** League Cup (2001, 2003), FA Cup (2001), UEFA Cup (2001), UEFA Super Cup (2001)
Michael Owen was a boy wonder for Liverpool who won the Ballon d’Or in his early 20s and delivered one of the great FA Cup final comebacks.
The striker was only 17 when he broke through from the youth ranks to debut for the Reds in May 1997 – and scored his first goal within 16 minutes.
At the time, he was the youngest player to net in Liverpool’s history.
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Lightning-fast and a supreme finisher, he then supplied 23 goals across all competitions in the 1997-98 campaign, his first full term at senior level.
That impressive introduction for the club was the start of a stratospheric rise for Owen, whose reputation soared further when he thrived for England at the 1998 World Cup.
After returning to Anfield duties, he matched that tally of 23 goals in 1998-99, before injury issues temporarily halted his ascent.
He was back terrorising defences and goalkeepers during what would be an historic 2000-01 season for himself and [**Gerard Houllier**](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/info/gerard-houllier)’s Liverpool team.
Owen netted a personal-best 24 times as the Reds claimed a trophy treble of League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, alongside securing a return to Champions League football.
A decisive brace away at AS Roma in Europe was an individual highlight, though nothing compared to his impact in the FA Cup showpiece against Arsenal.
With Houllier’s men outplayed by their opponents and trailing 1-0 in Cardiff, Owen netted in minutes 83 and 88 to stun the Gunners, win the cup and have the final named after him.