New Delhi: Michael Owen was just 18 when he etched his name on to the minds of football fans around the world with one of the goals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
It was a moment that took the breath away as Owen, raced through the Argentina defence and fired a bullet shot into the top corner of Carlos Roa’s goalpost to score a wonder goal.
England lost that second-round match, but Owen was now a global star.
In the intervening eight years, he has experienced many things - trophies with Liverpool, transfers to Real Madrid and Newcastle United, and injuries, which have lessened fractionally his once-lightning speed.
Yet throughout this time he has not stopped doing what he started back in 1998, scoring for England.
Owen grew up supporting Everton, the club where his father Terry once played, yet it was with their local rivals Liverpool that he learnt his trade.
His goals helped Liverpool win the 1996 FA Youth Cup and the following year he made a goal-scoring debut in a Premiership match at Wimbledon at17 years and 143 days.
Owen’s form in first full season in the Premiership was remarkable, the youngster netting 18 times in 36 league appearances, and it earned him his first England cap just nine months after his Liverpool debut against Chile in February 1998.
His first goal for England followed not long afterwards, in a friendly against Morocco on the eve of France 98.
He started the finals that summer on the bench but after his scoring turn as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat by Romania, then manager Glenn Hoddle could no longer ignore his claims.
Eight days later, with that goal against Argentina, the whole world knew about him.
Owen has enjoyed plenty of high points since in an England shirt. In September 2001 he struck a hat-trick as England beat Germany 5-1 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Munich.
The following summer he found the net against Denmark and Brazil as England reached the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals in Korea/Japan.
Owen was on target three times in qualifying for Germany 2006 and in his final appearance of 2005 scored two headers against Argentina to give Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side a morale-boosting 3-2 friendly win.
The win left him with 35 goals from 75 international appearances. Only three players have recorded more goals for England.
Owen’s finest hour to date at club level came in 2000-01 when his two late goals won the FA Cup for Liverpool against Arsenal.
He also picked up League Cup and UEFA Cup winner’s medals that season and ended the year by becoming the first Englishman since Kevin Keegan 22 years earlier to collect the European Footballer of the Year award.
By the time Owen left Liverpool in 2004 to join Real Madrid, he had scored 118 times in 216 league appearances for the Reds.
He maintained his impressive strike rate in Madrid, where despite making only 20 league starts, he claimed 13 goals.
However, frustration at his limited opportunities meant Owen returned to England in August 2005 to join Newcastle United.
Owen, whose principal pastime away from football is horse-racing, has had an injury-hit year at Newcastle but after recovering from a broken metatarsal, he will be raring to go in Germany.
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