Michael Owen: Off the Record [Hardcover]

Boy wonders come and boy wonders go, but Michael Owen has made the giant leap from sensational teenage star into one of the most consistent and respected strikers in world football - and he's still only 24 at the time of writing his new autobiography, Off The Record. A child goal-machine in North Wales who went on to acheive at all levels of the game – defying expectations at the ease with which he took each step upwards - Owen has seemingly been the star turn since he was in diapers. The decision to move from Liverpool to Real Madrid this season, and the fleeting shadow this has cast over his sun, is for now, the last chapter in the Owen legend. Owen first scaled the peak of public and professional esteem at the 1998 World Cup. His breathtaking solo strike against Argentina was an exposition of youthful audacity, skill and self-belief beamed repeatedly around the world - but as Off The Record reveals, the TV pictures only tell half the story. Did you know that at the crucial moment, after Owen had waltzed through the Argentine defence into the area, an inrushing Paul Scholes optimistically demanded the ball with a shout of "Scholesy's!"? Or that, afterwards, with England knocked out on penalties and his team-mates crushed by the loss, Owen confesses to greeting his family with a broad smile of self-satisfaction, having succeeded in his own performance? The fundamental selfishness of the top striker is a recurring theme for Owen, and makes for fascinating reading - but will win him few friends. Warts and all autobiography is the modern standard of course, and while chapters in Off The Record are primarily concerned with simply correcting public stories about England abroad, Owen's gambling, his problems with one-time Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, and the suicide of Owen's interior designer Mike Flynn, it is the frankness of acknowledging the underlying 'me first, team second' reality which makes the usual procession of achievements and frustrations really come alive. Not for nothing, one suspects, does the book end with an exhaustive statistical account of Owen's career. Every England appearance is there. But only the Liverpool games he actually scored in. --Alex Hankin

For a collection of 10 postcards, this publication is very good value. Each one is a colour shot of the young striker in a different pose, covering his leisure, training and playing activities. Detachable so you can send them to all your friends who also love the Liverpool and England international, the "stubbs" have colour pictures and, as an added bonus, a multitude of facts and information on the back. So, once you've posted them out to everyone you know, you still have a lasting memento of the young Michael Owen's career. --Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

‘He’s an unrivalled ambassador of the game of football’ Sir Bobby Charlton

‘Owen has already assured himself of a place in sport’s hall of fame’ BBC

Michael Owen reveals the highlights and pitfalls of being a professional footballer in his first official autobiography, which contains his personal reflections on seven years in the game, including two World Cups, two European Championships and goalscoring records for club and country.

After his famous goal against Argentina in France 98, Michael Owen was forced to grow up almost overnight, his sudden fame propelling him to stardom to the extent that the hopes of a football nation now rest on the slender frame of this 24-year-old.

In his autobiography, Owen is forthright in his views on the game: he reacts to the accusations of diving, his susceptibility to injury, and his alleged gambling addiction; he reveals his frustrations with the current Liverpool team and the surprising reasons behind his fluctuating form in 2003/04; and he tackles his ambitions for a possible future career abroad.

He is also candid about his England striking partnership with Wayne Rooney; his role in the players’ strike threat in support of Rio Ferdinand, and his complex and at times difficult relationship with coaches such as Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson; and he has strong views on the thug culture still rife in English football.

Outside of the game, he talks openly for the first time about the recent death threats to him and his family, his relationship with childhood sweetheart Louise Bonsall – including her serious injury from a riding accident – and their baby Gemma, and his aspirations to be a horse owner and breeder when he gives up the game.

For a person who rarely opens up to the press about his private life and his true thoughts on the game, Owen shows remarkable clarity of mind and purpose in this eye-opening story of a footballer never far from the headlines and a role model to a whole generation of youngsters.

After his famous goal against Argentina in France 98, Michael Owen was forced to grow up almost overnight, his sudden fame propelling him to stardom to the extent that the hopes of a football nation now rest on the slender frame of this 24-year-old.In his autobiography, Owen is forthright in his views on the game: he reacts to the accusations of diving, his susceptibility to injury, and his alleged gambling addiction; he reveals his frustrations with the current Liverpool team and the surprising reasons behind his fluctuating form in 2003/04; and he tackles his ambitions for a possible future career abroad.

He is also candid about his England striking partnership with Wayne Rooney; his role in the players’ strike threat in support of Rio Ferdinand, and his complex and at times difficult relationship with coaches such as Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson; and he has strong views on the thug culture still rife in English football.

Outside of the game, he talks openly for the first time about the recent death threats to him and his family, his relationship with childhood sweetheart Louise Bonsall – including her serious injury from a riding accident – and their baby Gemma, and his aspirations to be a horse owner and breeder when he gives up the game.

For a person who rarely opens up to the press about his private life and his true thoughts on the game, Owen shows remarkable clarity of mind and purpose in this eye-opening story of a footballer never far from the headlines and a role model to a whole generation of youngsters.

Michael Owen was born in Chester in December 1979. The third youngest player to have found the net in a World Cup finals tournament, he has been voted PFA Player of the Year and BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He graduated through the Lilleshall school of excellence and has played for England at Youth, Under-18 and Under -21 levels. At senior level he has captained his country and looks set to break all goalscoring records in the coming years.

Paul Hayward is Chief Sports Writer of the Daily Telegraph and has been twice voted Sports Writer of the Year.