New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- Michael Owen always had impeccable timing. On a dull Monday morning in Mumbai, he walks into the room-turned-studio of a luxury South Mumbai hotel, overlooking an expanse of the Arabian Sea, and kitted out with the Premier League trophy, right on time for the interview.

Bright and ready, sporting the same hair-cut he had since he burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy. He is not a fashion icon or larger than life. Owen may not attract hordes of phone-toting casual football fans, but was a treat for the purists. Standing at 5'8, he took on the best and biggest defenders, on the ground and in the air, with his speed and smarts to become one of the best strikers England (40 goals in 89 appearances) and Liverpool has ...