The news of Mohamed Salah’s departure from Liverpool at the end of the season has reminded everyone of just how many goals the Egyptian has scored in the Premier League.
With 191 goals in England’s top flight, he stands as fourth in the all-time goal scorers list. Just outside that top 10 is Michael Owen, who ranks 11th and 41 goals behind Salah.
Owen had his injury problems in the second half of his career, but it should not be forgotten just how good he was in that first half. Prior to that injury, he was a key part of Liverpool’s treble in 2001 and won a Balon d’Or that same year.
Not just any player makes the move to Real Madrid, which Owen did in the summer of 2005. However, his time in the Spanish capital lasted just one season. He struggled for gametime at the club, averaging 49 minutes per game and struggling to break down Ronaldo and Raúl in the pecking order.
Despite this, he scored 14 goals in all competitions and had the best minutes per goal ratio (0.49) in the team, and only three players had more goals per 90 minutes in all of La Liga.
Once again speaking with VAVEL, Michael Owen, the official UK ambassador for Casino.org, a trusted comparison website highlighting the best online casinos for UK players, spoke of whether this is something he looks at when people say he struggled at the club.
“I don't know what play, what people say, I struggled at the club. I mean, I was there with some incredible strikers.
“Morientes, R9, Raúl and myself. And then, other players joined, Baptista and Robinho. You know, there was a lot of attacking talent at the club at the time, and to play, I think I started 20 games and came on as a sub 18 times.
“I had a thoroughly enjoyable time there. I think if you asked the fan, they took to me. And, you know, I only went there, back there a few years ago, and got announced onto the pitch to present Ronaldo with his Balon d’Or. And I got a huge reception, which was just very, very nice, and, yeah, I think I had an enjoyable and successful time.
“Nobody can Well, obviously they can. They can say what they want. Nobody can say to me that, Oh, you went around Madrid and you failed. I mean, I absolutely didn't. I scored loads of goals. As you mentioned, scored in the Champions League, scored in El Classico, one of the most memorable El Classico’s of all time, winning 4-2. The names on the goal scoring list that in that game were, you know, Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raúl and me. I mean, it was, yeah, an exciting time.”
Scoring a winner in a Manchester Derby
Michael Owen celebrates scoring for Manchester United against Manchester City in the 2009 Manchester Derby
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Michael Owen of Manchester United celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on September 20 2009, in Manchester, England. (Photo by Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images)
After leaving Madid, Owen controversially joined Manchester United via Newcastle United.
During this time, he scored 17 goals in 52 appearances. His most famous of those goals came in the Manchester Derby on September 20th 2009. In a back-and-forth encounter that saw United fail to hold on to 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 leads, they were facing a draw against their new look noisy neighbours.
With all six minutes of added time used, United were in last chance saloon. Ryan Giggs played a brilliant ball into the feet of Owen, who sent the ball past Shay Given to send the home crowd wild.
Owen, who also spoke to VAVEL last month, discussed his thought process as he received the ball from Giggs.
“Stay calm. Stay cold. Good first touch. Where's the opponent? How much of a touch can I take inside, so I open up my angle even more. Don't touch it with your left foot, because you got more chance with the outside of your right foot. Loads of things go through your mind, but you just got to try to stay ice cold. It was all about trying to give Giggs the biggest corridor he could so, because I knew it needed to be fired in, and it was all about first touch.
“My first touch was the thing that made the goal, obviously me pulling out and giving Giggs the room and showing him where I needed it, was all important. A big touch inside and I get tackled, a touch that takes it away from everybody probably kills my angle, and I'm now a one in 10 shot chance instead of a five in 10 chance.
“So it was all about the first touch and being as daring as I could to keep my angle open without getting tackled, obviously. And that's, that's the whole sort of thing that you're weighing up in these split seconds when a ball's coming to you.
“You're not thinking of that when you see the ball dropping out the sky. You're thinking, how do I make this path? How do I attract his attention and how do I make it an easier pass? How do I stay onside? How do I do all these things?
“It's only when then you've done all that and the ball is flying towards you, then you're thinking about the next set of circumstances. So yeah, quite a lot going through my mind in a split second I'd suggest.”
England 5, Germany 1
Michael Owen celebrates scoring for England in the 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich 2001
Sport, Football, 2002 World Cup Qualifier, Group 9, Munich, 1st September 2001, Germany 1 v England 5, England's Michael Owen is ecstatic after he had scored the second of his three goals (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
This is getting better and better and better. One, two, three for Michael Owen.
These were the words uttered by legendary British commentator, the late John Motson as England beat Germany 5-1 on September 1st, 2001.
This is arguably one of the most famous games in the history of the England Men’s National team, and Owen was a big part of this.
Owen scored a hattrick as England ended up running riot at the Olympiastadion.
Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey, who discussed his goal in a previous interview, also got on the scoresheet in this game, one that started off with England 1-0 down.
Owen spoke of where the game ranks in his career.
He said: “Yeah, I'd say top five in my career. It was an iconic moment for English football. To beat the old enemy 5-1 in their backyard, and, more importantly, take a huge step to qualifying for the World Cup. It was, it was a pretty special moment. So, yeah, you could even argue top three. It was, it was pretty cool.”
The best player he played with
Real Madrid starting lineup including Michael Owen, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham in 2005
CHICAGO - JULY 16: Starters of Real Madrid pose for a photo before a friendly match against Chivas De Guadalajara on July 16, 2005 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Back Row (l-r) Iker Casillas #1, Pablo Garcia #12, Ivan Helguera #6, Ronaldo #9, Francisco Pavon #22, Zinedine Zidane #5 and Thomas Gravesen #16. Front Row (l-r) Michael Owen #11, Michel Salgado #2, Roberto Carlos #3 and David Beckham #23. Real Madrid defeated Chivas De Guadalajara 3-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
During Owen’s career, he played Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.
In that time, he played alongside some great footballers. This includes Steven Gerrard, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, David Beckham and Iker Casillas to name a few. Owen described who he felt was the best player he played with.
“I would say Zidane, closely followed by Steven Gerrard. Zidane was just a ballerina of a footballer, had absolutely everything. Quicker than people think. Stronger than people think. Just grace and elegance and unbelievable touch. Great finisher.
“What words can you use? He was just unbelievable.”
Does Owen feel like a Premier League champion?
Michael Owen, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs celebrate with the Premier League trophy at Manchester United in 2011
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 22: Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs of Manchester United pose in the dressing room with the Barclays Premier League trophy after the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Blackpool at Old Trafford on May 22, 2011 in Manchester, England. (Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
In a previous media appearance, Owen has spoken about winning the Premier League in the 2010/11 season and how he didn’t feel like a true champion. He discussed whether he still holds this opinion.
“I'm sceptical about trophies in general. Certain people can absolutely claim to have won a trophy. In my first season at Manchester United, I played a big part. I scored in the Cup final, winning 2-1 against Aston Villa, me and [Wayne] Rooney scored. I scored a hat trick in the Champions League away at Wolfsburg in a really important game that we needed to win at the time. I scored the goal against Manchester City. In the first year, I was really involved, I played a lot.
In the second year when we won the title. Of course, I played enough games to qualify for a medal.
“I don't claim two trophies for scoring two goals in the last few minutes of the FA Cup final and almost single handedly winning that. I don't claim two medals for it, but I feel better about it. If someone says, said you win the FA Cup? Inside of me, I'll think, bloody hell. Did I win the FA Cup? Yes, I did, and the final was named after me.
“Do I feel as if I made a massive contribution to winning the one of the League Cups against Birmingham? I didn't even play. I had a hand in qualifying us for the final, but Robbie Fowler played in the final. I then played in the FA Cup Final and the UEFA Cup final. Do I look at that medal and think, oh, I really deserve it? No, it takes a shine off it a bit. Premier League medal, shine off it a bit. I didn't score dozens of goals.
“It depends how you feel inside, you know, as to what your contribution is. You know, there's players out there that probably never played in the Premier League or played two or three games, but it depends how you feel about it. And I feel strongly about certain medals and less strongly about others, and it all depends on how much I contributed to that medal.
“If I want to reel off the medals in my cabinet, that's easy to do, and that's easy for other people to do. But for me, that lived through it, I don't just look at a load of medals and see them as medals. They’re memories to me, they're just a reflection. They're just the end game of that season. What did I contribute, how did I feel and how exciting it was. And what about my teammates in the club? So, I just see medals and success probably differently to your to your normal fan.”