On This Day – 17th December
On this day in 2001, Michael Owen’s ‘Annus Mirabilis’ was made complete as he won the Ballon D’Or.
The Liverpool striker won the European Footballer of the Year award just three days after his 22nd birthday. In doing so, he became the first English player to win the illustrious award since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
Owen had won five trophies in 2001. He lifted the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in the 2000/01 season and followed this up with the Charity Shield and UEFA Super Cup. England had also secured qualification to the 2002 World Cup in the October.
The Liverpool striker fired in 39 goals over the course of the year, 31 for Liverpool and eight for England. He scored both of Liverpool’s goals in the FA Cup Final as they came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1. His most notable game on the international stage came in England’s World Cup qualifier against Germany in September 2001. Owen fired in a hat-trick as England stormed to a famous 5-1 victory.
Unfortunately for Owen, his career was blighted with injury and he wasn’t able to push on and become a world-class player that he showed he could be in 2001. The 39 goals and five trophies proved to be his most successful year in the game.
About Author
1 thought on “On This Day – 17th December”
Comments are closed.