Maverick and genius-type players are disappearing

There is still an aura around Michael Owen, and a vast fan following wherever the former England striker goes.

- Shahid Judge

MUMBAI: It has been no different in India this weekend. On Sunday, Owen featured in a 'Legends Faceoff' exhibition fixture between former Real Madrid and Barcelona stalwarts. He donned the white of Real, for whom he played in the 2004-05 season.

But for a player considered one of the best strikers of his generation, Owen, 45, asserted that had he been a present-day professional, he would probably not be allowed to feature as a centre-forward. His club career ran from 1996 to 2013; For England, he played from 1998 to 2008, becoming the then youngest player for his country.

"The game has changed, the role of the striker, the profile, the shape and size of the forward has changed," Owen, now a TV pundit, said at a media interaction on Sunday. "Somebody like myself, I don't know where I would fit in in today's game. Maybe I'd have to play in one of the wider areas."