Michael Owen 'embarrassed' by second half of career at Newcastle and Manchester United as Ballon d'Or winner opens up - 'It's killing me'

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Michael Owen was the last British player to clinch the Ballon d'Or, scooping the prestigious award after playing a key role in Liverpool's treble-winning season of 2000/01. But after returning to the Premier League from La Liga giants Real Madrid, the striker struggled with injuries and eventually retired at the age of 33. Owen said he was "half-embarrassed" by the latter stages of his career.

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Michael Owen has opened up about the frustrating second half of his football career, admitting that he only retired because his "mind was about to explode".

After bursting onto the scene at Liverpool as a 17-year-old, Owen became a star on the international stage with England, eventually scoring 40 goals in 89 appearances, and picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2001.

By the end of his professional career in 2013, the striker was just one of five players to have netted 150 Premier League goals or more, though it is telling that 118 of those arrived prior to his move to Real Madrid in 2004.

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Injury issues plagued Owen on his return to England, when he signed for Newcastle and then Manchester United, and he conceded on the Rio Presents podcast that he became a shadow of his former self.

"Well, I've said before," said Owen. "I sort of split my career into two - almost Liverpool and maybe Madrid, and then afterwards. Because I just wasn't the same. Not that I didn't like it; I loved it at United. I love you and the lads and whatever.

"But I'm not me. I'm not me. You know what I was when I was 18, and you know what I was when I was 30. It's like, I was half-embarrassed. I'm coming out to these big stadiums, St James' Park, Old Trafford, with my name on my back.

Michael Owen retired at Stoke City at the age of 33

Image credit: Getty Images

"It's like, can I not just change my name and just think of something, like call me something else? I don't want people to remember me like this. [I was] still good, still scoring, but I'm not what I was. It's killing me. But it's like, what can you do?"

Owen was part of Liverpool's treble-winning side in 2000/01, winning the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup under Gerard Houllier.

His Player of the Match performance against Arsenal in the 2001 FA Cup final was particularly memorable, scoring stunning solo efforts in the 83rd and 88th minutes to turn the showpiece on its head.

And while he would go on to win his first Premier League with Manchester United in 2011, recurring groin and thigh problems continued to frustrate him on his return to England's top flight.

"I had it for eight years, when I'm thinking, ‘I don't like this.’ I was looking at the clock [for] half of my career, thinking only 20 minutes? And I could still score. I could still play well," said Owen.

"I couldn't rip a team's heart out any more. I could just finish if I get the opportunity. I'm relying on everyone else now, whereas I used to be able to - I didn't need anyone else - just give me the ball and I'll do it. And that change of mentality."

Owen scored five league goals for United over a three-year spell and eventually brought his career to an end at the age of 33 while at Stoke City, where he netted once in eight Premier League appearances.

"I didn't retire because of my body," insisted Owen. "I still played in a game the other day. I retired because my mind was about to explode. And I couldn't have it any more that I was just a Premier League player."

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