Owen Hargreaves facts for kids
Hargreaves playing for Manchester United in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Owen Lee Hargreaves | ||
| Date of birth | 20 January 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Calgary Foothills | ||
| 1997–1999 | Bayern Munich | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2001 | Bayern Munich II | 26 | (6) |
| 2000–2007 | Bayern Munich | 145 | (5) |
| 2007–2011 | Manchester United | 27 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Manchester City | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 199 | (13) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | England U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2001–2008 | England | 42 | (0) |
| 2006 | England B | 1 | (0) |
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Owen Lee Hargreaves (born 20 January 1981) is a former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. People knew him as a hard-working player. He was great at winning the ball back for his team.
Owen started his youth career with Calgary Foothills in Canada. Then, he moved to Germany to play for Bayern Munich. He spent seven years there. During this time, he won four German league titles. He also won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League.
In 2007, Hargreaves joined Manchester United. In his first season, he won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. Sadly, his time at Manchester United was affected by many injuries. He left the club in 2011. He even posted videos on YouTube to show he was fit to play. In 2011, Manchester City signed him for one year. He played only four games before leaving.
Owen was born in Canada. His mother was Welsh and his father was English. This meant he could play for Canada, Wales, or England. He first played for the Wales under-19 team. Later, he chose to play for the England under-21 team. He then joined the senior England team. He is special because he is the only player to play for England without living there before.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Owen Hargreaves was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was the youngest of three children. His parents, Margaret and Colin Hargreaves, moved from the United Kingdom in the 1980s. His father played football for Bolton Wanderers youth team. He also played for the Calgary Kickers in Canada. Owen is the only one in his family born in Canada. His brothers and parents were born in Wales or England.
Growing up in North America, Owen played many sports. These included basketball, ice hockey, and American football. His sports heroes were Michael Jordan and Deion Sanders.
Club Football Career
Playing for Bayern Munich
Owen Hargreaves joined Bayern Munich on 1 July 1997. He was just 16 years old. He spent two and a half years with their Under-19 team. Then he played for the amateur team for nine months. In 1998, his Under-19 team reached the final of the German Championship. They lost to Borussia Dortmund after a penalty shoot-out.
On 12 August 2000, Owen played his first Bundesliga match. He came on as a substitute for Bayern Munich. His first start was on 16 September 2000. That season, Bayern won the Bundesliga title. They also won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. Owen started in the final match. He is one of only three English players to win the Champions League with a non-English club.
In the 2001–02 season, Owen became a regular player. He played 46 games in total. Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga. They reached the Champions League quarter-finals. The club won the Bundesliga again in 2002–03. They also won the German Cup. On 26 January 2003, Owen scored his first Bundesliga goal.
Owen faced some injuries in the 2002–03 season. He tore a thigh muscle and a calf muscle. He also had adductor problems. Despite this, he played in 25 Bundesliga games.
The 2003–04 season was different. Bayern did not win any trophies. They finished second in the Bundesliga. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid. Owen played 38 games that season.
In 2004–05, Owen won another German championship. He also won the German Cup again. He played 27 Bundesliga games and scored one goal. In the 2005–06 season, he won another Bundesliga and German Cup. Owen scored the first goal at the new Allianz Arena. This was on 5 August 2005. In October 2005, he signed a new four-year contract with Bayern.
In the 2006–07 season, Owen broke his leg. This kept him out for most of the season. He recovered in time for the Champions League. Bayern beat Real Madrid. But they were knocked out by Milan in the quarter-finals. Bayern finished fourth in the Bundesliga. This meant they missed out on Champions League football. He played 145 top-flight matches for Bayern.
Joining Manchester United
On 31 May 2007, Owen Hargreaves joined Manchester United. The transfer fee was about £17 million. He signed a four-year contract. He was given the number 4 shirt.
Owen played his first game for United in a friendly match. It was against Peterborough United. He made his first Premier League appearance in a derby match. This was against Manchester City. Owen scored his first league goal for United on 1 March. It was a free kick against Fulham. He scored his second goal against Arsenal. In his first season, United won the Premier League and Champions League. In the Champions League final, Owen played the whole game. He also scored a penalty in the shootout. United beat Chelsea to win the trophy.
Owen's second season was difficult because of injuries. He had a recurring knee problem. He had surgery on both knees in the USA. This meant he missed the rest of the 2008–09 season. He missed out on more Premier League and League Cup medals. Owen continued his recovery in the United States.
In January 2010, people hoped Owen would return. But he was left out of the Champions League squad. He finally made his comeback in a reserve team match. This was on 18 March. On 2 May 2010, Owen played in the Premier League again. It was his first league game since September 2008. He had missed 113 matches in 20 months.
Owen missed the start of the 2010–11 season due to another injury. On 6 November 2010, he started a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But he had to leave the game after just five minutes due to a hamstring injury.
On 22 May 2011, Manchester United said they would not offer Owen a new contract. His contract ended that season. He even offered to play for free. Owen posted videos online to show he was fit. Many clubs considered signing him.
Moving to Manchester City
On 31 August 2011, Manchester City signed Owen Hargreaves. He signed a one-year deal. City needed a midfielder. This move gave Owen a chance to play Champions League football. However, he was not included in their Champions League squad.
Owen made his City debut against Birmingham City. This was in the League Cup. He scored the first goal in a 2–0 win. On 27 April 2012, it was confirmed he would leave City. He had made only four appearances for the club. City won the Premier League that season. It was their first English title in 44 years. Owen was part of the celebrations. But he did not play enough league games to get a winner's medal.
After leaving City, he trained with Queens Park Rangers. But they did not offer him a contract.
International Football Career
Choosing a Nation
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Owen Hargreaves was born in Canada. His mother was Welsh and his father was English. This meant he could play for England, Wales, or Canada. He was not chosen for the Canada U-17 World Cup team. Owen chose to play for England. This upset some football fans in Canada and Wales.
Playing for Wales
He played for Wales in the 1998 Milk Cup. Wales finished third in that tournament. He was supposed to play for the Wales U21 team in September 2000. But he pulled out after England contacted him.
Playing for England
On 31 August 2000, Owen was called up to the England under-21 squad. He was 19 years old. He played against Georgia. England won 6–1. He also played in friendly matches against Italy and Spain.
Owen played his first full international game for England on 15 August 2001. It was against the Netherlands. This made him the only player to play for England without ever living in England. In his second game, England famously beat Germany 5–1. Owen was the only player not playing in the Premier League chosen for England's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad. He got injured early in England's second group game against Argentina.
He was chosen for England's squads at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. Some people criticized this choice. They felt he seemed "German" because of his accent and German language skills. At Euro 2004, he played three times as a substitute. In the 2006 World Cup, he started England's last three matches. He was considered one of England's best players in that tournament. He was named "Man of the Match" in the quarter-final against Portugal. England lost that game after a penalty shootout. Owen was the only English player to score his penalty. In 2006, he won both England Player of the Year and England Player of the World Cup awards.
On 30 January 2007, he was voted England Player of the Year 2006. This was by fans on the official FA website.
Honours
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06
- DFB-Pokal: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06
- DFB-Ligapokal: 2000
- UEFA Champions League: 2000–01
- Intercontinental Cup: 2001
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2007–08
- UEFA Champions League: 2007–08
Individual
- Bravo Award: 2001
- England Player of the Year: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Owen Hargreaves para niños
- List of England international footballers born outside England
- List of sportspeople who competed for more than one nation
