‘Cunning England Star was the Only Good Thing to Come Out of 1998 World Cup’

Few players can be spoken about in the same breath as Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time. The Argentine began his career with Argentinos Juniors, joining Boca Juniors after five years with his first club. Across just a season with Boca, Maradona established himself as one of the world’s most-promising talents.

A combination of Maradona’s form and potential attracted suitors and in 1982, Barcelona broke the world-record transfer fee to sign Maradona for £5 million. Barcelona are, obviously, a club of gargantuan status and while Maradona showed glimpses of the player he would become, he struggled to settle in Catalonia.

After just two years with Barca, Maradona moved to Napoli, where he finally found a home in Europe after breaking the world-record transfer fee for the second time. The playmaker spent seven years in Naples, guiding the club, who had never won a major league title, to two Serie A trophies, something that ensured his legacy in that part of Italy. Maradona remains a revered figure amongst Napoli fans, regardless of his sometimes controversial personality.

Maradona, who achieved World Cup glory with Argentina, departed Napoli in 1991, enjoying stints with Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys before returning to Boca in 1995 where, after two years, Maradona retired. His legacy firmly cemented, Maradona retired just one year before the 1998 World Cup, something that, as per FourFourTwo, he was not overly fond of as a tournament.

‘The Only Good Thing’

Maradona praised brilliant English forward

Back in 2014, FourFourTwo spoke to a number of players that featured in the 1998 World Cup, which saw France lift the prestigious trophy in their home country after they beat Brazil in the final. On reflection, Maradona said:

“In my mind, Owen was the only good thing to come out of France ’98. He had speed, cunning and balls.”

Though he struggled with injuries in his later career, Michael Owen was one of the brightest footballing prospects at the time of the 1998 World Cup, after which he was named the tournament’s best young player. The tournament came off the back of Owen’s first season as an established first-team player at Liverpool, who he played for until 2004.

Michael Owen Career Stats
Playing Career	1996-2013
Appearances	483
Goals	223
Assists	60
Clubs Represented	Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Stoke City
Major Honours Won	1x Ballon d’Or 1x FA Cup 3x League Cup 1x Premier League 1x UEFA Cup

Owen, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2001, is one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever strikers, despite there being some animosity between Owen and the Liverpool faithful over his 2004 departure for Real Madrid. For somebody of Maradona’s stature in football to complement Owen, particularly based on a tournament he evidently did not enjoy, is a major credit to Owen’s ability as a player.

(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 13/06/2025)