Maybe it is because Early Doors is of a certain age, but there seems to be an inescapable sadness about Michael Owen. When his name flashes across Sky Sports News, or his latest tweet drops into a timeline, as the brain's synapses crackle in response a subliminal image recurs. It is the image of an 18-year-old with wide eyes and arms stretched even wider, a stadium in St Etienne erupting, Roberto Ayala and team-mates left strewn across the turf by Owen's five-second burst of brilliance. A moment when anything seemed possible.
Excellent article by Tom Adams. Bonus points for the Liam Gallagher analogy.