Top players whose careers have been marred by frequent injuries

Michael Owen

Michael Owen won everything possible with Liverpool and his career, even though cut short of true greatness by the injury plagued last half, is a remarkable achievement in itself. As a 17 year old, he was pipped to be the next big thing in English football and proved himself by winning two consecutive golden boots in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

The workload that he was taking as a young teenager has been cited as the source of his hamstring problems. Owen scored over 150 goals for the Anfield giants and after an injury plagued season in 2003-04, joined long-time suitors Real Madrid. The dream move turned out to be a damp squid and he was moved to Newcastle after a single season where he was to suffer from a series of injuries.

In December 2005 he broke a metatarsal bone. He suffered an ACL injury during England’s World Cup campaign in the very first minute in a game against Sweden in 2006 and that kept him out for an entire year. A thigh injury and a double hernia problem would prevent him from major participation in Newcastle’s 2007-8 campaign.

Owen moved to Manchester United in 2009 where he spent three injury plagued seasons but earned a place with the fans by scoring a key goal in the sixth minute of additional time against rivals Manchester City to give the Red Devils a 4-3 win. Sir Alex Ferguson was very vocal about the ‘loss of true greatness’ that the player suffered due to his time at Liverpool sparking a controversial debate.