OCTOBER 1
Owen admits to Real doubts

BBC Sport Online

Michael Owen has admitted he could be forced to reconsider his future at Real Madrid at the end of the season.

Owen has started only one game since his £8m summer move from Liverpool and faces competition from Ronaldo, Raul and Fernando Morientes.

"I would be worried if this continued throughout the season," he said.

"If that happened then obviously I'd have to ask questions about myself. I don't want to carry on not playing. I hope we don't cross that bridge."

Owen also admitted the transition from automatic choice for Liverpool to bit-part player in Madrid had been difficult.

"At Liverpool I was first choice every week. What Raul is to the Real Madrid supporters I was in a way to the Liverpool supporters," he said.

"I was an important player. The big difference is that I'm not playing as much in Madrid."

Real have no reserve team which means Owen has had to make do with brief substitute appearances for the first team.

"It can be difficult not to play and then be called upon for 10 minutes or so," he said.

"Much as you do probably train harder when you're not playing, there's nothing like match fitness or playing games."

However, the 24-year-old is hopeful he will keep his place in the England team.

Jermain Defoe's impressive full England debut against Poland and Wayne Rooney's return to fitness has increased competition for places in attack.

Owen said: "There are always players doing well and competing for places.

"Obviously I have not played as much as I would have liked over the last few weeks but I hope that when I go back to England it will be OK."

AUGUST 23
Owen's best LFC memories

By Steve Hunter - LFC Official Website

Michael Owen reflects on the good times he enjoyed at Anfield and says he will never forget the 2001 FA Cup Final in Cardiff when his two late goals beat Arsenal.

Owen says he will cherish every goal he scored in a Liverpool shirt but says his one big regret is that he never won the league while at Anfield.

Owen said: "I have 160 fantastic memories of Liverpool, one for every goal in 297 appearances, but the outstanding occasion was the 2001 FA Cup Final when I scored twice in the last eight minutes and we beat Arsenal 2-1.

"That whole treble was unforgettable and my only regret is that we never won the big one, the Premiership.

"When I first broke into the team as a teenager, it was towards the end of what people called the Spice Boys era. There were huge challenges under Gerard Houllier. His priority was to shore up the defence and, when we won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001, we were winning 1-0 just about every week.

"We were criticised for not being pretty, but there was no disgrace in our method when we were winning trophies. But it didn't take us on to the Premiership title and you do get jealous when you see players from other clubs taking home the big prizes."

Owen says he also felt frustrated with Houllier's methods in the sense that he didn't get the same service that other top Premiership strikers received.

Owen said: "I would also look at the chances that Thierry Henry or Ruud van Nistelrooy would get playing for Arsenal and Manchester United. They are superb strikers but I also felt that they were getting those extra opportunities.

"Now things are changing again at Liverpool and it was good news for the club when Steven Gerrard decided to stay on this summer. Rafael Benitez looks a safe pair of hands as manager and, given time, I think he will bring trophies to Anfield.

"I wish my old club all the best but sometimes you have to make decisions for your own career. In 50 years' time I did not want to regret turning down the chance to move to a new country, learn a new language and play for Real Madrid."

AUGUST 23
Owen: Why I left Liverpool

By Steve Hunter - LFC Official Website

Michael Owen says the main reason he left Anfield was ambition and felt that had he stayed at Liverpool he would have been left in what he terms as a comfort zone.

Owen said it wasn't a difficult decision for him to leave Liverpool and is looking forward to a new life in Spain.

In his most frank interview since leaving L4 for the luxury life of Madrid Owen says he is driven by ambition at playing for Real Madrid, who he calls the biggest football club in the world.

Owen said: "Since I was 10 I didn't just want to be a footballer, I wanted to be the best footballer in the world. There are still lots of people ahead of me but if you want to get into that bracket, you have to break out of comfort zones. That is a nutshell is why I made the life changing decision to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid.

"I have always had a burning desire to push myself and that is why I was disappointed with some of the defeatist reaction to my transfer. I don't know if it is an English trait to settle for what you've got but I was taken aback when the first thing some people said was 'how's he going to get into the first team'. They didn't say 'fantastic, he's moving to the biggest club in the world.'

"I would be lying if I did not admit that I spent a couple of days wondering if I shouldn't just stay at Liverpool. Part of my brain was saying 'just let your career run down, you're safe here. Your family is around you and everyone likes you'. But the majority of me was being ambitious. I had 10 days to make up my mind and for eight of them I felt the drive to better myself as a person and player."

Owen said England head coach Sven Goran Eriksson was a major factor in his move to Spain as he advised him to leave Anfield.

Owen said: "The England head coach was among those who said that I would benefit from the fresh challenge. I am proud of myself for making that step out of the comfort zone and going for something that is a bit scary, a bit nerve racking. Money never came into it and is is just pure ambition.

"I know many of the Liverpool fans will be disappointed but I like to think it is an amicable farewell.

"I never had any problems with Rafael Benitez and if the transfer to Madrid had broken down I was ready to resume my career at Anfield. If I was disloyal I'd have gone on a Bosman next summer.

"I said to Liverpool that I wanted them to get a fee. OK, maybe it is not as much as they might have got a few years ago, but if I'd had three or four years left on my contract, I might have been priced out of a move."

AUGUST 16
Camacho boost for Owen

BBC Sport Online

Real Madrid coach Jose Antonio Camacho says he could pick Michael Owen ahead of fellow strikers Ronaldo and Raul.

It has been suggested that the £8m signing from Liverpool might find it difficult to secure a starting place with the Spanish giants this season.

But Camacho said: "Owen will ensure that there is competition for places, and will generate concern within the squad in the expectation of playing.

"Naturally, it could be that some day Raul and Ronaldo will not be picked."

 Owen together with the legend Paco Gento.

Owen has been handed the number 11 shirt - which was worn by Paco Gento.

And the Real legend has given his seal of approval to the England striker.

"Owen is a monster, as a soccer player he has everything. He's young, fast, a goalscorer, a hard worker and a winner," Gento told the paper.

AUGUST 15
Owen's week-long Real talks

By Mark Buckingham - Sky Sports

Michael Owen has revealed he spent a week discussing his £8 million move to Real Madrid from Liverpool.

The England hot shot was officially unveiled by the Spanish giants on Saturday, with Liverpool receiving cash plus Antonio Nunez in exchange.

Owen was in the final year of his contract at Anfield and negotiations regarding an extension with the Premiership outfit had stalled.

Though the 24-year-old recently claimed he was closer than ever to agreeing a new Reds deal, it appears that, at the same time, he had been given the go ahead to discuss a switch to El Santiago Bernabeu.

Real had been granted permission to speak to Owen while Liverpool were on their pre-season trip to the United States but he acknowledged talks did not commence until his return.

"I received Liverpool's permission to speak to Real 10 days ago but I was still with The Reds touring the States," Owen told the News of the World.

"I spoke to Real for the first time last Saturday and I still can't believe how well things have gone.

"I've spoken with England boss Sven Goran Eriksson too and he's delighted with the fact I've signed for this great club."

Owen is eagerly anticipating his Real baptism but concedes he faces a mighty battle to win a place in Jose Antonio Camacho's starting line-up.

He added: "I came here because it will make me a better player and a better person.

"Raul, Ronaldo and Morientes are three of the best strikers in the world and I am conscious of how hard I will have to work to get an opportunity here.

"Real Madrid is the club of champions. It's a fantastic challenge.

"I am impatient and I can't wait to pull on the famous shirt of Real Madrid."

AUGUST 15
The folly of Owen's going

By Ian Ridley - The Observer

Winning is not everything, Bill Shankly once said; it's the only thing. Thus will Real Madrid, for whom above all or anyone else victory is paramount, be unhappy about winning one and losing one. Shankly's Liverpool used to be in that league.

Michael Owen prepares for life at the Bernabéu, the leaving of Liverpool having become inevitable. Patrick Vieira, somewhat surprisingly, remains at Arsenal. Next time the topic of loyalty in the game crops up, let us not have the lazy generalisation that overseas players do not show the same commitment to clubs as the home-grown.

Liverpool's victory in Graz in midweek showed, on the surface, that there is life without Owen. If the club think that all is well, however, Steven Gerrard having signed a new deal and scored twice to confirm himself their prime asset, then they are kidding themselves. One Liver bird does not make a season.

In fact, the Owen sale tells of turbulence within the club, of transition at best but turmoil at worst. The new manager, Rafael Benítez, was hired to take them that next step towards winning the championship. They might just be dropping further away.

Owen, it is believed, did not take to Benítez and had at least a couple of disagreements with him, indeed. Benítez in turn apparently did not consider Owen worth the £100,000 a week he was reported to be asking. That is £10m for two seasons. Now Liverpool are about to find out the cost of replacing him, in fees as well as wages. And merchandise.

The willingness to sell Owen makes no sense at all, either in footballing or business terms, certainly not at the cut-price £8m fee (when Didier Drogba goes for more than £20 million?), plus a makeweight. He has had injuries and, yes, he had only a year left on his contract. But they had a guarantee of goals that any replacement is not sure to provide as he settles in.

Liverpool also had the public-relations element: a native son, symbol of the club, a totem for fans. Better, surely, to do a deal for a few more years at the end of which his value and the market might be more buoyant. Owen, in theory, should still be a few years from his prime, after all.

Had Gérard Houllier stayed, that would probably have been the scenario. Owen has always talked, even recently, about wanting to remain at the club. Benítez, however, is clearly intent on establishing his own regime at the Melwood training ground, one that Owen could not have been happy with. The Spaniard is clearly a talented coach, given the wonders he worked at Valencia, but this is a key early moment for his management.

One wonders what the club's potential new chairman, Steve Morgan, thinks of it all. The current captain David Moores, seasick in the choppy waters of late, is said to be ready to accept the Morgan money that the club apparently need to bridge the gap between them, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. It could all leave the chief executive, Rick Parry, eyeing the FA's equivalent position.

Towards the end of last season, Morgan was critical of the Anfield regime, citing a lack of passion for the red jersey. The home-grown players of the 1960s, '70s and '80s possessed it in abundance, he said, unlike the current crop.

Now Benítez has lost two local lads in Danny Murphy and Owen. Murphy, indeed, said that he chose Charlton, rather than Tottenham, because he did not wish to work again under a foreign-style coaching set-up and preferred the Englishness at the Valley, where Alan Curbishley is building up a quietly impressive portfolio.

Rather than Antonio Nuñez, Benítez now needs to make a significant signing, someone like Pablo Aimar from his previous club Valencia, a creative player capable of exciting the Liverpool public and getting them on his side. The mood, particularly with the departure of Owen, is one of scepticism if not suspicion.

Naturally, good results will soften that mood. Houllier, in common with Arsène Wenger when he first arrived, sought to retain an English core to the team but it seems a policy that has had its day. Only Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Robson continue to retain that belief at the top of the Premiership.

With the demise of his old guard, Wenger now introduces few Englishmen, though he will point out that Vieira's length of service at the club makes him as Arsenal as any domestic player coming through the ranks. The breakdown of the move to Real may have had more to do with a disagreement over personal terms, but the feeling remains that Vieira will still give his all, despite any disappointment, as long as freedom from injury permits.

And so the Premiership loses another English player it can ill afford to. On Wednesday, we will see a half-empty St James' Park when a young England side take on Ukraine in a friendly. Excessive prices have something to do with it, as does an over-familiarity with the international game after Euro 2004, but it is also the arrival of the league of nations competition that is the Premiership that will hurt the attendance.

Why watch works in progress when you can have the exotic finished article? And why have Liverpool thrown the baby, in Michael Owen, out with the bathwater when it was the underachievers and undercommitted they were supposed to be shedding?

Not quite last call for Zizou

Some players, some moments, transcend partisanship. Zinedine Zidane is one of those, his added-time free-kick for France against England this summer earning admiration despite breaking a nation's heart. Now he has called time on his international career, after 10 years and 93 appearances.

'Zizou' began in similar fashion to the England game near his ending. Following France's failure to qualify for the World Cup of 1994, he got his chance as a substitute that late summer against Czechoslovakia. The French were 2-0 down before Zidane rescued a draw with a fierce long-range shot and a bullet header and was dubbed Zorro by the French press the next day. My palate for the game was a little jaded but, watching on television on holiday in France, I could not help but be reinvigorated.

Since then he has been the outstanding European talent of his generation. Quite apart from the instant control, the tricks, the passing range, the shooting and the powerful heading, he has always possessed a fierce work ethic and a respect for the team that marks out the great.

The consolation for audiences is that by terminating his international career, Zidane has probably extended his time at the top level of the club game by at least a season. It should also be good news for Michael Owen.

AUGUST 13
End of an era for Anfield

By Rob Brady and Mike Hornby - Liverpool Echo

He wanted to be a football player from an early age.

But not just any football player. Michael Owen wanted to be a Liverpool player.

Owen signed terms with Liverpool at the age of 11 despite Alex Ferguson trying to get him to sign for Manchester United.

By the age of 18, he'd become one of the most well-known sporting names around the world.

And now, just five years on, he is a true soccer idol, having broken goal-scoring records for club and country at all levels.

He may stand a modest 5ft 9in tall but he strikes fear into defences around the world with his potent combination of sheer pace and ruthless efficiency in front of goal.

Michael Owen is also a role model for millions of children, comes from a close-knit family and has largely avoided the attentions of the scandal-seeking tabloids.

He grew up in Hawarden, just across the Welsh border, with his four brothers and sisters.

Even as a young lad he was used to being the centre of attention. Playing in the Deeside Primary Schools league he started playing for an Under-11s side when he was just seven.

Although his father Terry played for Everton, Michael headed for Anfield and in 1996 signed professional forms before helping Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup. It was only going to be a matter of time before he made his full England debut.

But for all his maturity and confidence on the pitch those who know him well will say he is still just a quiet, modest young man from Deeside.

Former headteacher Chris Harvey, who taught Michael at Hawarden high school, said: "I remember a bright, shiny young lad who was always keen and eager - just like the Persil advert.

"He had a real determination when it came to sport.

"After the World Cup in 1998 he came back to the school and although he had achieved world-wide fame, he did not allow it to go to his head."

He may be modest, but Owen is a global brand. His legs are insured for £60m, and he has one of the most valuable faces in football.

Advertising endorsements and careful investments in the property market have helped him amass an estimated £12m fortune, making him one of the wealthiest men in the game.

Despite worldwide acclaim and near super-hero status among Reds fans, Owen has kept his feet firmly on the ground.

Not for Owen and fiancée Louise Bonsall the celebrity party circuit beloved of the Beckhams.

Although he owns a luxury villa next to the Quinta do Lago golf course in Portugal, he is still a firm fixture at the Hawarden golf club, where he and Terry enjoy a few rounds of golf.

Owen's Grade II listed mansion, Lower Saughton Hall, where he and Louise are raising their daughter Gemma Rose, is close to both sets of parents.

A star from the moment he first kicked a football

EVEN before Michael Owen burst on to the scene as a slender 17-year-old, he was already being tipped for stardom.

Those who had watched him in youth and reserve team football had no doubt he was something special. After all, anyone who beats Ian Rush's goals record at school level has got to be one to watch.

A superbly-taken strike on his Premier League debut against Wimbledon on May 6 1997 merely confirmed the fact to the rest of the nation.

That 2-1 defeat to the Dons killed off the Reds' title ambitions that season, but the fans took solace in Owen's dynamic performance. They had seen the future.

Every season since 1998 Owen has topped the Anfield scoring charts. A PFA Young Player of the Year title was followed by the European Footballer of the Year crown.

He scored on his European debut against Celtic in 1997 and went on to overtake Rush as the club's most potent hitman in European competitions.

At the age of 18 years and 59 days he became the youngest player in the 20th century to wear an England shirt. Three months later he became his country's youngest scorer. He has scored more goals for England than any other Liverpool player, beating the record held by Anfield legend Roger Hunt.

He scored his 100th goal in all competitions against West Ham at Upton Park in 2001 and notched up his Premiership century in style with a hat-trick at West Brom in 2003.

For Owen and Liverpool FC alike, 2001 was a milestone year as the Reds roared to a cup treble --powered by his goals. Two matches in particular showcased his value.

There was his stunning two-goal display that saw off Roma in the Uefa Cup, followed by the late brace that defeated Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

Owen has always been able to reproduce his club form at international level.

He has hit 26 goals from 50 starts. He made his debut against Chile in February 1998, but had to wait three more matches for his first goal which came in Morocco.

Two particular performances on the international stage stand out. His stunning solo strike against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup turned him into a global superstar.

Then came his hat-trick in the famous 5-1 demolition of Germany in their own backyard in 2001.

Still only 24, Bobby Charlton's England scoring record of 49 goals is still well within his grasp.

AUGUST 13
Owen departure puts heat on Liverpool

By Phil McNulty - BBC Sport Online

Michael Owen was touted as one of the prime movers in Liverpool's decision to appoint Rafael Benitez as successor to the sacked Gerard Houllier.

Liverpool's hierarchy admitted they consulted senior players about Houllier's replacement - and it is safe to say that Owen would have been at the front of the queue with Steven Gerrard.

Owen, so it was said, wanted Benitez in charge at Anfield after being impressed by the way he master-minded Valencia's Champions League demolition of Liverpool.

So, it is with a sense of truly dramatic irony that Owen is the biggest casualty of the winds of change being blown through Anfield by Benitez.

As everyone watched and waited for Patrick Vieira to be paraded at the Bernabeu, Owen - as he has done so often in a Liverpool career spanning 297 games and 158 goals - stole in unnoticed to claim the prize.

In a summer of speculation centring on Vieira and Everton's Wayne Rooney, no-one banked on Owen being the biggest name on the move.

Indeed, as recently as the pre-season trip to America, Owen was making all the noises that suggested signing a new Liverpool contract was a formality.

But there were whispers that he did not want to commit for as long as Liverpool wanted, and stories have since emerged that Owen's relationship with Benitez has not been smooth.

No deal was done and Liverpool's board, terrified at the prospect of losing Owen on a Bosman after Steve McManaman took the same route to the Bernabeu, have accepted an £8m-plus-player deal that is at best cut-price, and at worst a steal.

This combination of circumstances led to the stunning chain of events that has Owen at the gates of the Bernabeu in the summer's biggest transfer surprise.

It is also a move of startling bravery by Benitez, who is making a massive statement of intent early in his Anfield reign and is apparently more than willing to sanction Owen's departure.

The word from inside Liverpool's Melwood traing camp is that Benitez has made his mark by breaking up a so-called Scouse "clique" involving Owen, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Danny Murphy.

Murphy has gone and Owen is going - to be replaced by a succession of Spanish stars well known to Benitez.

Owen departs Liverpool with his place in the club's history books assured, particularly for the two goals that almost single-handedly won the FA Cup against Arsenal in 2001.

He is, unjustly, regarded with respect rather than true affection among Liverpool fans, never quite reaching the iconic level of Robbie Fowler, or more recently Gerrard.

It is a status that may have made his departure easier to bear for player and club - but still a departure that leaves a massive void to fill.

Milan Baros won the Golden Boot at Euro 2004, but his radar has been notoriously unreliable at club level, while £14m Djibril Cisse is still unproven in the Premiership.

But Benitez is known for ruthlessness, and it is clear he feels Liverpool's life can go on without Owen.

Those supporting Owen's departure suggest Liverpool have become one-dimensional with him in the side, relying too much on his pace and goal-scoring.

Time will tell whether Liverpool will be more rounded without their master marksman.

Owen will regard the move to Madrid as the ultimate opportunity to fill a trophy cabinet that is short of the top honours a player of his stature deserves.

He is best known for his boyish appearance, but Owen has a ruthlessly single-minded approach and will back himself to win a regular place, even in competition with the "galacticos" Raul and Ronaldo.

It will add an extra layer to his game that will also benefit England.

Owen will leave a legacy at Liverpool - not least in the mind of captain Gerrard.

Gerrard had a last-minute change of heart about a £31m summer move to Chelsea, presumably on the promise of big new signings to take Liverpool forward.

What he did not have in mind was that the plan would include the sale of close friend Danny Murphy, and the departure of Liverpool's other world-class player and England colleague Owen.

Gerrard is unlikely to be elated at this dramatic turn of events. He may even feel a sense of betrayal.

So while Owen leaves, the effects of this stunning deal may not have finished reverberating through Anfield yet.

AUGUST 13
Michael Owen poised to seal Real Madrid switch

By Simon Baskett - Reuters

MADRID: England striker Michael Owen is poised to complete his move from Liverpool to Real Madrid, the Spanish club said on Friday.

"Michael Owen will undergo a medical at the Zarzuela clinic in Madrid prior to signing as a new player for Real Madrid," Real said on their Web Site.

The 24-year-old's transfer was confirmed by new Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez earlier on Friday.

"Michael will have a medical with Madrid before the deal is completed," Benitez said.

Owen's contract with the premier league club was only due to run until the end of the coming season, when he would have been able to leave on a free transfer.

Benitez said Liverpool were powerless to stop Owen joining Real once the Spanish club showed an interest.

"I was very happy with Michael and I wanted him to stay," Benitez said. "The problem was he only had a year left on his contract. Real Madrid started talking with his agent and in the end it was an impossible situation to control.

"We are losing a good player and a good person," he told reporters.

"But I think it's impossible to control the situation for us. When you talk to footballers now the agents control many situations. Now when a player has only one year left on his contract, like Michael, it is difficult to control what happens."

Real are expected to pay 12 million euros ($14.71 million) for the former European Footballer of the Year in a deal which sees midfielder Antonio Nunez move in the opposite direction.

Nunez, who made 11 appearances last season and scored one goal, joins Liverpool on a three-year contract.

Spain's Radio Marca said Owen would join Real on a four-year deal with an option for an extra year, adding that he is not expected to earn quite as much as the other 'galacticos' but should pocket about five million euros ($6.13 million) a year.

The announcement ended months of uncertainty about the future of the striker, who has won 60 caps and scored 26 goals for England.

NEW DEAL

Owen had been expected to sign a new deal with Liverpool, but appears to have had a change of heart following a renewal of interest from Real.

"He seemed happy but the only thing that changed was that Real Madrid talked to him. That changed all the ideas in his head perhaps. I hope for Michael, Liverpool and Real Madrid this is the best thing for everyone," said Benitez.

Owen will follow in the footsteps of fellow England international David Beckham, who joined Real from Manchester United last year for a fee of up to 35 million euros.

The move means Real president Florentino Perez has kept faith with his policy of signing one big-name attacking player each season and Owen will now join Beckham, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo as one of the so-called "galacticos."

Owen, who had a disappointing last season with both Liverpool and England, will now have to compete with Ronaldo, Raul and Fernando Morientes for a place in the Real Madrid frontline.

He netted 158 times in 297 matches for Liverpool, helping the Merseysiders to a treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001, before being named European Footballer of the Year.

AUGUST 13
Owen hoping dreams turn to reality at Madrid

By Mike Collett - Reuters

LONDON: It took Michael Owen just 17 minutes to announce his arrival at Liverpool when he scored his first goal on his league debut against Wimbledon in May 1997.

He could do with making the same kind of instant impact on his first appearance for Real Madrid in the next few weeks where he dreams of emulating the club's greats like Alfredo Di Stefano, Raul and Zinedine Zidane and winning the European Cup.

Owen, just 17 at the time of his breakthrough and now a mature 24, scored a well-taken goal soon after coming on in the second to last game of the 1996-97 season.

He proved then that the incredible skill and speed he possessed as a young boy, when he once scored 150 goals in a season, would enable him to hold his own in the Premier League.

Within a year Owen was England's youngest player for more than a century, and when he scored his first goal in his fourth appearance with a classy strike against Morocco before the 1998 World Cup he became their youngest scorer for more than a century too.

He made an even bigger impact when he scored a classic goal against Argentina in the finals in France and is now England's joint 10th-highest scorer of all time with 26 goals in 60 internationals.

Bobby Charlton's England scoring record of 49 goals and Peter Shilton's appearance record of 125 matches are both within his sights.

Now after almost 300 matches and 158 goals for Liverpool Owen faces probably the toughest challenge of his career -- winning a place in Real Madrid's starting lineup and the earning the affections of the fans.

He moves to Madrid as the personal choice of president Florentino Perez and joins the 'galacticos' alongside England team mate David Beckham, Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo at a club that is determined to recapture both the Spanish and European titles this coming season.

GALACTICOS SUPERSUB?

Owen faces very tough competition not only from Brazil's scoring machine Ronaldo but also local hero Raul and the rejuvenated Fernando Morientes, who reached the Champions League final while on loan at Monaco last season.

He will want to play regularly, rather than becoming famous as the first galactico 'supersub', but has a lot to prove because last season was a mixed one for Owen in terms of form and fitness for Liverpool and England.

There is a widespread view that a series of injuries over the last few seasons have cost Owen that vital half-a-yard of pace that was such a feature of his game when he was younger.

There is no doubt he is still a dangerous striker -- but there are doubts about his physical durability.

After starting well with eight goals in his first eight matches last term, Owen scored just once between October and the start of February before recovering from injury and ending the season finding the net regularly again.

But he had a less than memorable Euro 2004 and now has to start all over again at the biggest club in the world.

A level-headed young man, Owen has achieved at the highest level winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool and being named European Footballer of the Year in 2001.

But his last two seasons were something of an anti-climax with little for Liverpool fans to celebrate, apart from a League Cup final win over Manchester United in which Owen scored, as the lucrative Champions League proved to be a mirage for former coach Gerard Houllier.

Houllier has departed and been replaced by Spaniard Rafael Benitez and now Owen has gone too, hoping his dreams turn into reality in Madrid and do not become the stuff of nightmares.

Thor Zakariassen ©