Former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United striker Michael Owen recently announced that he would be retiring from professional football at the end of this season. This has led to a heap of praise from the England midfielder, David Beckham. Beckham has praised his international teammate by saying that he is a true legend. Owen retires from the game after having played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, while also coming close to beating the all-time goalscoring records for the England national team. Besides from playing at the national level, Beckham and Owen played along with each other at Real Madrid for one season.

Owen broke through the scene at Liverpool when he was just a teenager. His extraordinary speed and skills earned him several accolades during the early part of his career. He was even named as the FIFA Ballon d’Or award winner back in 2004. However, his career has been plagued by injuries for the last few years. The 33-year-old signed for the Premier league club Stoke City on a free transfer in the summer hoping to play regular football, but he has once again spent majority of the season on the sidelines. As a result, he has chosen to retire when his playing at the highest level of football.

“I am not going to retire yet but obviously Michael has had an amazing career. He is a legend in our country for the things he has done on the field. I wish him luck. He has obviously become a friend of mine over the years. He has got an amazing family and an amazing wife and children. He has had a great career and scored amazing goals, not just for England but for the teams he has played for,” said Beckham, who ruled out his retirement now.