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After Golden Balls came the golden boy of English football, a player who mesmerised an entire Argentine defence and seemingly had the whole world at his feet. Now he could be on his way Down Under, with reports surfacing that Michael Owen is a target for the Newcastle Jets.
Owen has been linked with a move to the Nathan Tinkler-backed club, with the racing tycoon keen to bring in a player who owns his own fair share of thoroughbreds.
Reports that Owen could be lured by the enticement of a champion stallion thrown in as part of the deal prompted predictable media headlines.
But the fact that a current Manchester United player has been seriously linked with a move to the A-League is testament to the competition’s growing strength.
Critics scoffed at early reports Dwight Yorke could join the A-League, but Sydney FC were rewarded for their initiative with the signing of one of the most effective players in the competition’s history.
And many felt it unlikely that a player of Robbie Fowler’s stock would stick around when things went pear-shaped at North Queensland Fury, but stick around he did, even if his impact for Perth Glory has been minimal.
So Owen’s link with a move to Australia is a boost for a competition eager for another injection of star talent.
The former England whiz-kid has only started once in the league for United this season, and he was an unused substitute as Wayne Rooney crashed home a spectacular overhead winner to settle a cracking Manchester derby last weekend.
But Owen still possesses a predatory instinct and he’s surely grown tired of being overlooked by Sir Alex Ferguson – who already has Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez to call upon from his star-studded squad.
A change of scenery might just be in order for the former Liverpool legend, with English players now showing an increasing willingness to look beyond their usual haunts.
Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has recently lobbed up in West Java to ply his trade with rebel Indonesian Premier League club Bandung FC, while Nicky Butt currently calls Hong Kong side South China FC home.
And the recent arrival of Gold Coast’s new German import Peter Perchtold – not to mention the stellar season-long form of his compatriot Thomas Broich in Brisbane – suggests it’s not impossible for A-League clubs to sign quality European talent.
Speaking of Broich, it will be a travesty if Brisbane Roar aren’t crowned champions at the end of a highly anticipated finals series.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were imperious in their systematic destruction of Gold Coast United on Saturday night, and the Roar are not only the best team in the A-League this season, they’re fast approaching one of the best teams we’ve ever seen in domestic football in Australia.
I’ve long been an advocate of a finals series to decide the A-League champions and I don’t see any reason why the system should change.
But in this case I’d be mortified if Brisbane failed to win the Grand Final, simply because it would represent such a flagrant injustice.
That’s precisely the nature of knock-out football though, and whoever wins the 2010-11 competition will have slogged their way through a tough finals series.
Still, I can’t see anyone but Brisbane lifting the ‘toilet seat’ on Grand Final day, although perhaps Newcastle Jets will be in with a shout next season – hopefully with a fit and healthy Michael Owen bagging plenty of goals for the Novocastrians.