Name	Michael Owen
Height	5' 9"
Naionality	United Kingdom
Date of Birth	14 December 1979
Place of Birth	hester, England, UK
Famous for

Michael Owen was born on December 14, 1979 in Chester, England. The fourth of five children, he was raised in a tight-knit household by his parents, Jeanette and Terry. All the Owen kids were doted upon and encouraged to pursue diverse interests. The family lived in Hawarden, in the Welsh county of Clwyd. Terry, a central midfielder for Everton and Chester, was approaching the end of his soccer career when Michael came into the world. In 300 matches, he recorded a very respectable 70 goals.

Terry did not introduce Michael to soccer until the age of seven. Prior to that, he encouraged his son to work on his pugilistic talents at the Hawarden Boxing Club, believing they might help him look after himself later in life. Meanwhile, Terry spent hours playing soccer with his two eldest boys, Terry Jr. and Andrew, at a small field near the Owen home. But he soon realized that Michael was the most promising athlete in the family. Terry found a coach, Howard Roberts, to help develop Michael's considerable talents. Roberts, a local physical education teacher, managed the Mold Alexandra Under-10s.

Though Michael was only eight, Terry insisted that his son play regularly with the Under-10s. Roberts agreed, and sought to legalize Michael's position on Mold Alexandra. At the time, rules stipulated that children had to be at least eight to play in the league. Michael's small size led some to believe he was too young. Jeanette eventually wrote a letter attesting to her son's age and granting him permission to compete.

Michael flourished against his older and rougher competition. He finished his first season with 34 goals in 24 games, scoring nine in the first 20 minutes of one match before his coach called off the dogs and placed him in goal. Roberts often hesitated to put his star on the field against teams with bigger players, fearing the fate that awaited his undersized scorer. But whenever Michael got flattened or bullied, he laughed it off and continued on.

Given his nose for the goal, Michael typically played the center-forward (or striker) position. What impressed Roberts the most was his ability to run “off the ball." While his teammates would charge into the box cavalry style, Michael would delay his runs until the right moment, inevitably meeting the ball when it arrived from the cross. Also, his capacity to move with the ball at full speed sent defenses into disarray and opened up the pitch for others. Michael's pace, even at a young age, was breathtaking, and as he danced up the field he would often sprint 40 yards barely touching the ball, knowing just how far ahead to put it so that he didn't break his stride.

After one season with Mold Alexandria, Michael was invited to a tryout for the Under-11 team of Deeside primary schools. Already a minor celebrity, he and his goal-scoring feats had been great fodder for local newspapers. His fame increased further when he came under the tutelage of coach Dave Nickless. Playing for two different squads—Hawarden Rangers and St. David's Park—Michael terrorized defenses for two years. When he netted a hat trick at the 1980 Jersey Festival, he brought his career total to a record 97 goals.

By this time, Michael had become a student of the art of goal scoring. He was getting more and more clinical in his finishing technique, taking balls at fantastic speed yet never looking hurried. Unlike others his age, Michael thought his way around the field. Rather than blasting shots toward the goal and hoping for the best, he would put the ball in the corner of the net or side-foot it home, displaying a calm disposition and coolness under pressure normally associated with players three times his age.

Some of Michael's soccer sophistication came from his father. Terry constantly talked strategy with his son, and instilled in him a sense of professionalism that set the boy apart. Michael never showed up for a game or practice without the proper uniform. Nor did he ever utter a word of dissent to Nickless or his assistant, Ron Bishop. And despite being an acknowledged phenom, he was always popular with his teammates, who appreciated his ability to win matches without upstaging them.