Where did it all go wrong?

Michael Owen must wake up every day and kick himself. Twice. The first kick relates to being a multi-millionaire, stables-owning, helicopter-flying, 30-something superstar. The second strike however is a timely reminder of how quickly life can change in professional sport. As his career appears to be on the wane, and with potential suitors scarce, he must be regretting his move from Liverpool to Real Madrid more than ever. In pursuit of glory, (or was it euros?) he gave up his opportunity to become an Anfield legend, and headed off to La Liga. A few years on and he is danger of becoming the forgotten man of European football, out of favour with Capello, Shearer et al.

When he first burst on to the scene he seemed unstoppable, and destined for a trophy-laden career. Incredibly fast, composed and clinical, he was unstoppable for club, and a talisman for his country. His goal against Argentina in 98 will never be forgotten, nor will his FA cup winning double against Arsenal. But he then made the unwise choice of signing for Real Madrid, and he simply hasn't recovered. Cashing in on the fact that his contract was about to run out, (his wages at Madrid were astronomical) he swapped red for white, and loyalty for personal gain. An ill-fated season with Spain's premier club boosted only his bank balance as his confiidence suffered due to prolonged periods on the bench. With no interest shown by Liverpool, (his preferred option) he signed for Newcastle, and has remained there for the past 4 years. At the weekend he was substituted by his one-time strike partner for England, Alan Shearer, and he had largely been anonymous and could have no complaint. It was sad to witness his toothless display as it wasn't so long ago when he was terrorising defenders across Europe. He barely gets a mention nowadays when the talk is about the great strikers playing today, and he seems destined to miss out on both 100 caps, and the goalscoring record of Bobby Charlton which appeared a formality only a few years ago.

Back at Anfield, and another player who was on the verge of a mega move away from Anfield but who wisely chose to stay put, has just been voted FWA player of the year for 2009, and looks certain to lead his club to further glory. Steven Gerrard's and Michael Owen's careers ran parallel to each other for many years until Owen left. Gerrard toyed with leaving on two occasions but stayed put, and cemented his legend status in the process. How Michael Owen must look in envy at the status his former teammate enjoys. Admittedly he always gets an ovation when he returns to Anfield, and fans of the club will always speak kindly of his time as a player there. But he gave up any hopes of legend status when he left for Madrid, and it must still irk him to his day.

Life has obviously been good to Mr.Owen, the proud owner of his own cul-de-sac no less in leafy Hawarden. He has A-list friends, an impressive stable to indulge his passion for racehorses, and a beautiful family. But I fear, history will judge him as the man who had it all, and lost it when he left for Madrid.