Who could ever forget the goal against arch rivals Argentina at Saint Etienne on a tearful world cup 1998 pre-quarter final night! England were left heartbroken by the dreaded penalty shootout yet a teenager announced his arrival at the international stage with a performance worthy of winning world cups. A decade has passed since France 98 but life has changed so much for Michael Owen. Now 29, Michael is a forgotten man in the English camp.

Well, footballers(particularly strikers and forwards)tend to be at their best between the age group 29 and 35 and Michael is no different. Yet since moving to Newcastle United from Real Madrid, the former Liverpool player has struggled to escape the fitness table and despite his hunger to score goals both for club and country, new England coach Fabio Capello is determined to ignore Owen for national duty.

Yes, the Italian manager is no fool when it comes to selecting his best side for world cup qualifiers but somewhere down the line one misses Michael Owen at the football pitch. After all this is the same man that has scored forty goals for the Three Lions in eighty nine international games and the striker’s sheer presence upfront forces opposing defenders to take the level of their game a notch higher.

It’s understandable that Mr.Capello wants a fit England ahead of the world cup in South Africa but there’s no denying the fact that Michael Owen should be in his long term plans. Injuries are part and parcels of a footballer’s life yet class is permanent and Owen is a sort of player that boasts of a record of scoring big goals in big games. The Three Lions do have a lot of talents in front of the goal at the moment but with all due respect to the likes of Peter Crouch and Gabriel Abonlahor, do these names have the right temperaments to score against a Brazil or a Germany or an Argentina?

Well, I hope they develop into world class performers but as of now it is meaningless to keep Michael Owen out of the full squad. Let’s get it straight, Owen is England’s top scorer and is a trusted man to score against any side anywhere in the world. Even if he is not fully fit, the English fans can bet safely that the Newcastle striker would give everything on the field for the sake of his beloved country.

Fabio Capello has already done a brilliant job in instilling confidence in the English camp that was heavily missing under Steve Mclaren. The Italian’s no nonsense attitude towards player egos and profiles have given an inner strength to the England side and this strength will see the side through against the Ukraine at Wembley today, yet there is no question that Capello needs the Newcastle hit man for his long term fans to add a lethal experience to an already richly talented side.

A fit Michael Owen is a player who possesses magic touch on the field and it would be absolutely disastrous if he gets neglected by Fabio Capello for future England games. If David Beckham can be recalled to the team, why not Owen? Two sides to look at this. Beckham’s recall is a hope for Owen and his well wishers that the current England coach is keeping all his options open. Secondly, it remains to be seen whether Capello sticks with David Beckham in the future as this could be the trial for the former England captain to stake a claim in the regular England squad.

Yet, in football or for that matter any sport one must not lose hope and Michael Owen should continue his quest for a comeback into the national team. One thing is for sure, he is backed by his age, talent, international pedigree and a hunger to fight till the last breath. Fight on Michael! Hope we will not miss you in an England shirt in the future.