Michael Owen
© Getty Images
The one-time 'Boy Wonder' of English football, Michael Owen was a prodigy when he burst onto the scene with Liverpool in 1997.
The striker gave a sign of things to come when he scored on his debut for the club, and he went on to finish as the Premier League's top scorer in his first two full seasons in the division.
Indeed, Owen was Liverpool's top scorer every year from 1997-98 to 2003-04, when he left the club to join Real Madrid following Rafael Benitez's arrival.
Despite missing Liverpool's greatest hour in Istanbul, Owen did play a major role in their cup treble of 2001, with his performances that year seeing him become the first Englishman to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
Injury prevented Owen from truly fulfilling the potential he showed as a teenager, but he still managed 158 goals in 297 appearances before his move to Spain and subsequent spells at Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.
His stint at Manchester United in particular left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Liverpool fans, but his goalscoring exploits at Anfield cannot be ignored and for a time he was one of the most feared strikers in world football.
