ON OWEN HARGREAVES

 

(His hair was poetry)

Whereas most fans of English soccer were left feeling a bit saddened by the inevitable retirement of Paul Scholes, I was more affected by the loss of a player who, at his peak, was a comparable performer. Owen Hargreaves was, for me, much more than just a combative, skilled, and injury plagued footballer. He was the reason that I chose #4 as my number in college. He was also the only reason why I watched all of England's games during the 2006 World Cup; England was downright miserable for most of the tournament, but Hargreaves's drive and ambition alone almost sparked them to a semi-final birth. In this day and age, however, Hargreaves name is almost immediately followed by a combination of the following: injured, semi-retirement, missed opportunity, potential unfulfilled. It saddens me immeasurably that this maestro of the midfield only played a mere 27 (!) games during his four years at Manchester United, yet he still carries a certain legacy for me as a wonderful and talented (albeit oft hurt) man...


What made Sir Hargreaves such an endearing figure to me was the combination of grit and silk that he displayed during his healthy time on the pitch. He was one of the last true tackling midfielders of the modern game, a trait that made him perhaps the only Golden Boy of the British tabloids during England's forgettable 2006 run. Yet he could also provide moments of sheer ingenuity and class, which he displayed often during his time at Bayern Munich, and less so (sadly) at Manchester United. I remember the following clip well, when a hapless England was desperately spurred on by Hargreaves, who decided to have a run at Cristiano Ronaldo (who at the time was still a fairly decent defender...).

To me, he was such an interesting mix of talents. He was fast and nimble unlike many midfielders of his stature (he made Frank Lampard look like he was made of cement) yet he was bullish and strong when necessary. I guess that he sort of embodied the midfield position to me; he was box to box, could pick a pass, and could stop an attack moving in full flight. You don't really see players like that much these days, and I do believe that England suffers for it.

Now, it seems that Mr. Hargreaves will fade off into oblivion, perhaps with a few spells at lower level English clubs, as Manchester United have chosen not sign back my hero-of-days-past. Hopefully, history will look back fondly on Owen Hargreaves. Lest we forget that this is a man who won two Champions League trophies and multiple other winners medals during his time in Munich and Manchester.

He also scored maybe my favorite goal in my time watching the Premier League; in the 2007-2008 campaign, Manchester United had fallen behind to a resurgent Arsenal and looked to be losing their grasp on the league title. After tying the match up, United drew a free-kick on the edge of the box, and all the world thought Ronaldo would surely be the man to take it. They would be wrong.

     

Pure class from a player with bundles of it. If only he could have stayed healthy.

PS: Hargreaves also can lay claim to the greatest terrace anthem of all time... "OWEN HARGREAVES, YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, OOOWEN HARGREAVES, I'D LET YOU SHAG MY WIFE!"