IT WAS NEVER MY AMBITION JUST to be a professional football player, it was my ambition to be the best player in the world. Everybody has one tournament that left an impression on them and the 1990 World Cup was the one for me. I was 10 or 11 at the time and it was just so exciting all the color, all the music and all the great players. It made me realize: This is football, this is what it's about.
Now that I've retired from football, I realize that to do what I did so young, I did have this mentality of relentless positivity. Looking back, I could miss 100 chances in a game and pick up the paper the next day and see people saying, "Oh, Michael Owen played rubbish" and think: Not one player in the world could have done what I did in that match. I could turn what people thought was a negative into a huge positive for some reason. It was bordering on delusion in many ways!
But in the '98 World Cup I felt like I was a youngster coming into a really experienced team. When you're 18, you want to get across that white line and score some goals. If I was playing alongside Alan Shearer, that was brilliant because he's great. If Paul Scholes and David Beckham were behind me, that was great too.
But if I'm honest, I found my first World Cup appearance for England a little frustrating. Most people would be excited they simply played in a World Cup, but that wasn't the bar I set myself. I wanted to be the best, and I wanted to be scoring goals, I didn't want to be coming on as a sub in our opening match against Tunisia at 2-0 when I couldn't influence the game.
To me, my World Cup didn't start until our second match, against Romania. We were losing 1-0 and needed to get back in the game, so it was an obvious choice to put a striker onto the pitch. So I came on and scored, tying the game, and that cemented my place in the team for the next game.
An Iconic World Cup Goal
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 02 - 09, 2022 (Double Issue) من Newsweek US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 02 - 09, 2022 (Double Issue) من Newsweek US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The Next Phase of War
After thousands of elite soldiers from North Korea joined Vladimir Putin’s forces against Ukraine, how has this latest move affected the conflict?
Saying No to Trump and Men
The election has led some women to boycott relationships and sex
My Fight for Equality and Justice
It will take more than just science to end AIDS. Inclusion, empathy and compassion are essential, too
NEW WORLD ORDER
HOW LEADERS ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE REACTING TO DONALD TRUMP'S REELECTION AS U.S. PRESIDENT
America's Best CONTINUING CARE
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, RESTAURANTstyle dining, unlimited pickleball-an impressive number of amenities are becoming standard at Continuing Care Retirement Communities.
Hey, Don't Be So SAD
Seasonal affective disorder affects millions of people. Here’s how you can prep your body and mind for darker days
Wendi McLendon-Covey
AFTER 10 YEARS OF PLAYING BEVERLY GOLDBERG ON THE GOLDBERGS, Wendi McLendon-Covey was not eager for a break. \"I need to go do a job where I can just throw everything at it and then come home totally exhausted.\"
'I'm the Highest Earner in Esports'
Johan \"NOtail\" Sundstein has won over $7 million but says, \"I don't really crave that status.... I play for my own reasons\"
AMERICA'S BEST Weight Loss CLINICS & CENTERS 2025
WHETHER IT'S FOR MEAL PLANS, PROFESSIONAL guidance or access to medications like GLP-1s, weight loss clinics can offer personalized assistance for those hoping to make sustainable lifestyle changes.
AMERICA'S MOST ANTICIPATED NEW VEHICAL 2025
WHETHER IT'S A NEWLY IMAGined sport utility vehicle or the re-emergence of a highly regarded halo car, the vehicles coming to market in 2025 prove that Americans' attitudes about personal transportation are diverse and are being served from all angles.
