A hamstring injury at 19 stole the career Michael Owen was supposed to have

I recently came across this quote from Michael Owen, a former professional soccer player for Liverpool and the England national team.

"I've got no hamstring in the middle. I'm basically running on two hamstrings on my right leg and three on the other. That injury has probably changed my whole career. I've been compromised from the age of 19." 

Anyone who has ever dealt with a hamstring injury knows just how devastating they can be - the pain, the frustration, the setbacks. It makes me so sad to hear about an athlete who had such a difficult muscle injury, and it held him back for the rest of his career. It changed how he played the game, and he lived with such fear that he would tear it again. Michael was only 19 - just getting started, but look what he was able to accomplish, despite that injury:

Career Highlights:

• ⚽ Ballon d'Or winner (2001) — the last Englishman to ever claim the honour

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 89 caps for England, 40 international goals

• 👟 Premier League Golden Boot winner (1997/98)

• 🌍 That unforgettable solo goal vs Argentina at the 1998 World Cup when he was just 18

• 🔴 UEFA Cup & FA Cup winner with Liverpool

It makes me wonder what he could have accomplished, without that injury acting as a drag on his performance. Both his brain and body didn’t let him live up to his full potential. Here is a link to Michael talking about this injury:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MGkqPyIC6-I

To the parents of young athletes reading this:

Please take hamstring health seriously. Get proper assessments early. Don't rush back from injury. Invest in good physical therapy and PREVENTION WORK! The decisions made around injuries at a young age can echo throughout an entire career and lifetime.

Michael Owen's talent was undeniable. Don't let an undertreated injury be the thing that holds your child back from reaching their potential - even better be willing to invest the time and work into avoiding such an injury in the first place.

Most muscle injuries in sports are preventable! Keeping tabs on an athlete’s pelvic alignment, muscle strengthening geared at correcting muscle imbalances, a good warmup, rolling out and stretching, and good recovery habits will go a long way - and watch out for your athlete getting too fatigued from playing so much that they don’t get enough recovery time in between practices and games.

I have a FREE GUIDE for parents needing help dealing with an athlete's hamstring problem - whether it's just sore and tight or a more serious injury.