 Hargreaves playing forManchester United in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Owen Lee Hargreaves[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-01-20)20 January 1981 (age 44) | ||
| Place of birth | Calgary,Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2][3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Calgary Foothills | ||
| 1997–1999 | Bayern Munich | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Bayern Munich II | 26 | (6) |
| 2000–2007 | Bayern Munich | 145 | (5) |
| 2007–2011 | Manchester United | 27 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Manchester City | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 199 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | England U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2001–2008 | England | 42 | (0) |
| 2006 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Owen Lee Hargreaves (born 20 January 1981) is a former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. He was known as a hard-working and "soliddefensive midfielder who worked tirelessly to win the ball" and provide his teammates with possession.[4] He played withCalgary Foothills as a youth before beginning his professional football career in Germany withBayern Munich. After seven years with the Munich side – during which time he won fourGerman league titles and the2000–01 UEFA Champions League – Hargreaves signed forManchester United in 2007, winning thePremier League andUEFA Champions League in his first season. However, his time at Manchester United was thereafter plagued with injuries and he was allowed to leave the club at the end of his contract in June 2011. Hargreaves postedYouTube videos in a bid to convince potential suitors of his fitness, and in August 2011,Manchester City offered Hargreaves a one-year contract, which he accepted, but he was released at the end of the season after just four appearances for the club.
As a Canadian citizen with a Welsh mother and an English father, Hargreaves was eligible to representCanada,Wales or England. Hargreaves initially played for Wales, and was capped three times for theWales under-19 team, but then opted to play for theEngland under-21 team in 2000 and wascapped by the senior squad the following year. He is the only player to have played for England without having previously lived in England, and only the second, afterJoe Baker, to have done so without having previously played in theEnglish football league system.[5]
Hargreaves was born inCalgary,Alberta, as the youngest of three children of Margaret and Colin Hargreaves, who had emigrated from the United Kingdom at the start of the 1980s.[6] His father played football for theBolton Wanderers youth side[7] and also for theCalgary Kickers of theCanadian Soccer League. He is the only member of his family born in Canada; his brother Darren and his mother were both born in Wales, and his other brother Neil and his father were born in England.[7]
As a youngster in North America, in addition to football, Hargreaves grew up watching and playing sports likebasketball,ice hockey, andAmerican football. His sporting heroes were basketball legendMichael Jordan and American football playerDeion Sanders.[8]
Hargreaves tried out for Bayern Munich in October 1996.[9] Hargreaves moved at the age of 16 from Calgary Foothills to Bayern Munich on 1 July 1997.[10] He played in theUnder-19 team for two and a half years before spending nine months with theAmateur team. While with the Under-19s the team reached the final of theGerman Championship in 1998. They lost in the final toBorussia Dortmund, but only after a penalty shoot-out in Dortmund'sStadion Rote Erde.
On 12 August 2000, Hargreaves played in his firstBundesliga match againstHertha Berlin, making an appearance as a substitute forCarsten Jancker in the 83rd minute.[11][12] His first start came againstSpVgg Unterhaching on 16 September 2000.[13]That season the club wereBundesliga champions[14] and also won theUEFA Champions League, with Hargreaves startingthe final in central midfield.[15] Hargreaves is one of only three English players to have won a Champions League medal with a non-English club, alongside two-time winnerSteve McManaman (who won the Champions League withReal Madrid in1999–2000 and2001–02) andJude Bellingham (who won the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2024).
In the2001–02 season Hargreaves established himself as a first team regular. He made 46 appearances in all, with the club finishing third in theBundesliga, making the quarter-finals of the Champions League and being defeated in theDFB-Pokal bySchalke. The club regained their Bundesliga title in2002–03, along with theDFB-Pokal. On 26 January 2003, Hargreaves scored his first Bundesliga goal in the game againstBorussia Mönchengladbach.
2002–03 saw Hargreaves out injured on three occasions. In September he tore a thigh muscle, then in October a calf muscle. Towards the end of the seasonadductor problems meant he missed a further three weeks. Altogether he made 25 Bundesliga appearances, four in Cup games and three in theChampions League.
The2003–04 season was Hargreaves' first with Bayern without winning any silverware. After clinching the double the year before, theBavarian side finished second in theBundesliga, and were knocked out ofthe Champions League by Real Madrid. Hargreaves made a total of 38 appearances for the club in this season.
In2004–05 Hargreaves picked up anotherGerman championship andDFB-Pokal. He made 27 appearances in the Bundesliga (one goal), played in three Cup games (two goals) and eightChampions League games. In the2005–06 season, he added anotherBundesliga andDFB-Pokal title. Hargreaves scored the first goal at the newAllianz Arena in a competitive match on 5 August 2005, against Borussia Mönchengladbach. In all, he made 15 league appearances (one goal), four cup appearances (two goals) and threeChampions League appearances. In October 2005, he extended his contract at Bayern for another four years.
In the2006–07 season, Hargreaves broke his leg, which kept him out of most of Bayern'sleague campaign that season. He recovered in time to take part in Bayern's victory over Real Madrid in theChampions League, progressing after an aggregate score of 4–4 thanks to their twoaway goals in the 3–2 defeat in the first leg at Madrid'sEstadio Santiago Bernabéu. However, Bayern were knocked out in the quarter-final byMilan and finished fourth in the Bundesliga, missing out on Champions League football for the first time since 1996.[16] In total he played 145 top-flight matches in Germany for FC Bayern.[17]
On 31 May 2007, it was announced that Hargreaves would joinManchester United on 1 July 2007, after almost a year of negotiations between Bayern Munich and United for a fee of around £17 million.[18] Hargreaves was finally unveiled as a United player on 1 July, having signed a four-year contract with the club. He was then revealed to the press on 9 July, along with fellow newcomerNani. Hargreaves was given the number 4 shirt at Old Trafford.
Hargreaves made his first United appearance in a friendly againstPeterborough United on 4 August, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 victory. He made his firstPremier League appearance in United's third game of theseason, in thederby match away toManchester City in a 1–0 defeat. Hargreaves scored his first league goal for United againstFulham on 1 March, a free kick from just outside the penalty box.[19] He scored his second league goal for the club on 13 April, a free kick winner againstArsenal.[20] In his first season with United they won thePremier League andChampions League titles. In theChampions League final, Hargreaves played all 120 minutes, starting on the right of midfield, and scored United's fourth penalty of the shootout as they defeatedChelsea 6–5 onpenalties.
The start of Hargreaves' second season at United was hampered by injury, a recurringpatellar tendinitis problem that restricted him to sporadic appearances in2008–09. After trips to specialists in bothLondon and Sweden yielded no results, Hargreaves travelled toColorado, USA, in November 2008 to visit renowned knee surgeon,Richard Steadman.[21][22] Hargreaves underwent surgery on his right knee on 10 November and received a similar operation on his left knee in January 2009. However, this meant that he would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season,[23] ultimately meaning he would miss out on a secondPremier League title as well asLeague Cup,FIFA Club World Cup andFA Community Shield winner's medals.[citation needed] Hargreaves underwent his rehabilitation programme in the United States, and was due to return to training with United at theAudi Cup in Munich. However, upon assessment, it was decided that he should continue with his rehabilitation in the United States.[24] Hargreaves returned to the club on 23 September 2009, joined by his physiotherapist for a week to aid the transition process and for the club to understand his rehabilitation programme.[25]
In January 2010, it was speculated that Hargreaves was slated to return in time for United'sChampions League first knockout round tie againstMilan, despite not being fully match-fit.[26] However, on 4 February, Hargreaves suffered a major setback to hopes of playing in the2010 FIFA World Cup asAlex Ferguson omitted him from the squad for the knockout stage in favour of Belgian defenderRitchie De Laet.[27] It was expected that Hargreaves would make his return from injury in a reserve team match against Manchester City on 11 March,[28] but on the day of the match, Hargreaves pulled out of the game to continue with his training regime.[29] He eventually made his comeback a week later, playing for 45 minutes of United's reserve team match againstBurnley on 18 March.[30] On 24 April, Hargreaves was named as an unused substitute for the first-team match againstTottenham Hotspur.[31]
On 2 May 2010, Hargreaves made his Premier League return in the 93rd minute of United's penultimate game of the season againstSunderland.[32] It was his first Premier League action since a 1–1 draw with Chelsea in September 2008, in which time he had missed 113 matches in 20 months.[33] Despite this, Hargreaves missed the beginning of the2010–11 season, having suffered another injury, for which he travelled to the United States to see a specialist. On 24 September, manager Ferguson announced that Hargreaves had returned to training.[34] On 6 November 2010, he made his first start since September 2008 againstWolverhampton Wanderers, however it was short-lived after a hamstring injury forced his withdrawal forBébé just five minutes into the match, which United went on to win 2–1.[35]
On 22 May 2011, Ferguson confirmed that the club would not offer Hargreaves a new contract.[36] His contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season and he left the club, despite offering to play the2011–12 season for free.[37] Hargreaves later posted videos onYouTube of him exercising, in order to prove his fitness to potential clubs.[38][39] Buoyed by Richard Steadman's optimistic assessment that Hargreaves' knees, a source of injury for a number of years, could withstand the impact of 'jumping from theEiffel Tower',[40] a number of clubs including Bolton WanderersAston Villa,[41]Tottenham Hotspur,[41]Leicester City,[42]West Bromwich Albion,[43]Nottingham Forest[43]Queens Park Rangers,[42][43]Rangers,[42][43] and "severalMLS clubs",[42][43] were believed to be considering an offer for Hargreaves. In Ferguson's autobiography released in 2013, he called Hargreaves one of his most disappointing signings.[44] In 2020, ESPN ranked his transfer to United as the 27th worst Premier League transfer of all time.[45]
On 30 August 2011, Hargreaves was pictured supposedly having a medical withManchester City doctor Phillip Batty ahead of a move to the club.[46] City had been looking for a replacement forPatrick Vieira who retired the season before and an additional midfielder due toYaya Touré's anticipated absence during January 2012 because of the2012 Africa Cup of Nations.[47] They had earmarkedDaniele De Rossi,Fernando Gago andMark van Bommel but when these approaches failed, City turned to Hargreaves[48] – a player they had been looking at for a few months prior to their initial approach.
On 31 August 2011, City confirmed that they had signed Hargreaves on a one-year deal.[49] It was expected Hargreaves would join West Bromwich Albion,[50] but the City offer came as a surprise.[51] The move offered Hargreaves an opportunity for Champions League football as the club looked to challenge United for thePremier League. However, he was left out of theChampions League squad. Hargreaves made his City debut againstBirmingham City in theLeague Cup, and opened the scoring in a 2–0 victory with a goal in the 17th minute.[52] On 27 April 2012, it was confirmed that he would be released at the end of the season after just four appearances for the club.[53] City were to be victorious in thePremier League, winning their firstEnglish title for 44 years, with Hargreaves being involved in the on-pitch celebrations after defeatingQueens Park Rangers on the final day. However, after only playing one league match all season, he did not qualify to receive a winner's medal.
Following his release, he trained with Queens Park Rangers, but was not offered a contract by the club.[54]
Born in Canada to a Welsh mother and an English father, Hargreaves was eligible to play international football forEngland,Wales orCanada.[6] Hargreaves was not selected to play for the Canada U-17 World Cup team, despite being a promising youth player who trialled for Bayern Munich and was about to sign a contract with them.[9] Hargreaves drew the ire ofsoccer fans in Canada for choosing to play for England.[55][56][57] One fansite went to the lengths of demanding that the threeCanadian teams in MLS (Montreal Impact,Toronto FC,Vancouver Whitecaps) never sign Hargreaves to play for them,[58] after he was courted by the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2010.[59]
He represented Wales at the 1998Milk Cup[60] where Wales finished in third place behind Turkey and Northern Ireland, but finished above Russia.[61] He was set to make his début for theWales U21 team against theBelarus U21 team in September 2000 but pulled out of the squad after he was approached by England.[6]
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On 31 August 2000, the thenEngland under-21 manager,Howard Wilkinson, called the 19-year-old into his squad for the match againstGeorgia.[62] The game, played at theRiverside Stadium,Middlesbrough, ended in a 6–1 win for the home team. Further appearances for the under-21s followed in friendlies againstItaly andSpain.
Hargreaves played his first full international game on 15 August 2001[63] against theNetherlands atWhite Hart Lane, giving him the distinction of being the only player to appear for England despite having never lived in England. He was also the second player (afterJoe Baker) to have appeared for England without having played inEnglish league football and the first to appear for England without having played inBritain. In only his second cap he came on as a substitute as England famously beatGermany5–1 in theOlympiastadion. Hargreaves was the only player playing outside thePremier League to be selected for England's2002 FIFA World Cup squad. Hargreaves was injured after just fifteen minutes of England's second group game againstArgentina and had to be substituted.
Although he had not usually been part of the first-team, he was selected for the England squads atEuro 2004 in Portugal and the2006 World Cup in Germany despite criticism from sections of the press and public. The generally negative perception of him by English fans had not been helped by his seeming to have an essence of "German-ness", exacerbated by his Canadian accent and fluency in German.[64] While restricted to three appearances as a substitute at Euro 2004, Hargreaves was in the starting lineup of England's final three matches in 2006. In a tournament in which England were generally regarded as having underachieved, he was, by the end of England's participation, widely considered one of the few successes of the English squad. He was namedMan of the match in the quarter-final againstPortugal, the game in which England were eliminated after apenalty shootout, Hargreaves having been the only successful English penalty taker. In 2006, he won both England Player of the Year, and England Player of the World Cup in official FA polls, the first to win both in the same year.
Hargreaves picked up the Man of the match award in England's 4–0 win over Greece on 16 August 2006. On 30 January 2007 he was voted England Player of the Year 2006, as voted for by visitors to the Official FA site.[65]
In June 2007, FIFA announced that Hargreaves andPhilipp Lahm would visit South Africa in advance support for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[66]
After his transfer to Manchester City in 2011, England coach Fabio Capello hoped that Hargreaves would regain his fitness saying "I hope he will be really good in the short-term for Manchester City and also for England."[67]
Hargreaves' career was affected by injuries, the bulk of which formed in 2006, the year he won the award for England's best player at the2006 World Cup. Hargreaves stated that he believed the bulk of his injury problems to have been in 2007, when he returned from injury after breaking his leg. He felt that his muscle in his leg was weaker than before he sustained his broken leg, and initially Hargreaves ignored the aching and played on.[68]
It emerged by 2008 that Hargreaves was suffering from a problem with hispatella tendon[69] and this was eventually narrowed down topatellar tendinitis.[70] SurgeonRichard Steadman stated that Hargreaves knees were in a worse state than any other he had come across in his 35 years of experience.[71] After numerous operations on both his knees, Steadman said in September 2010 that Hargreaves' problems with his knees were over but Alex Ferguson denied this.[72] In November 2010, Hargreaves made his first start for Manchester United in 777 days, but limped off after six minutes.[73]
In 2011, Manchester United did not renew his contract due to his injury troubles. Speculation rumbled about Hargreaves retiring due to his injuries[74] but determined to prove himself, he uploadedYouTube videos of himself training to convince potential clubs of his fitness. His determination to carry on despite chronic injury won him admirers.[75][38]
After his move to Manchester City, Hargreaves stated that he felt like "a guinea pig" during his time on the treatment table at Manchester United. He believed that his prolonged trouble with injuries were due to the revolutionary treatments he was forced to undergo in an effort to solve a problem he felt had been exacerbated by the injections.[76] Alex Ferguson has rejected these claims.[77]
Hargreaves appears as a pundit forTNT Sports as part of theirPremier League,FA Cup,UEFA Europa League andUEFA Champions League coverage.[78] He is also aFootball Analyst on news channelCNN, and has covered theEuro 2016 competition in France.[citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Bayern Munich | 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | – | 20 | 0 | [79] | |
| 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 49 | 0 | [79] | |
| 2002–03 | Bundesliga | 25 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | – | 35 | 2 | [80] | ||
| 2003–04 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | – | 35 | 2 | [79] | ||
| 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | – | 38 | 3 | [81] | ||
| 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | – | 24 | 3 | [79] | ||
| 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | [79] | |
| Total | 145 | 5 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 218 | 10 | — | ||
| Manchester United | 2007–08 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | [79] |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | [79] | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | [79] | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | [79] | ||
| Total | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 2 | — | ||
| Manchester City | 2011–12 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | [79] | |
| Career total | 173 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 261 | 13 | — | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 0 | |
Bayern Munich
Manchester United
Manchester City
Individual
England squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
