Michael Owen's Reboot on shortlist for Autobiography of the Year in Sport Book Awards 2020
by Alex MilneMichael Owen's recent book Reboot has been shortlisted for the Autobiography of the Year in the Sports Book Awards 2020.
Published by Reach Sport, Reboot is a fascinating look back at the career of one of England's greatest strikers of all time.
From bursting onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager at World Cup 1998 to a club career which saw Owen play for the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle, there was rarely a dull moment in the now-BT Sport pundit's time as a footballer.
Owen's autobiography goes up against competition from women's footballer Eni Aluko, England cricketers James Anderson and Ben Stokes, boxer Tyson Fury, racing driver Jason Plato and Owen's former teammate Emile Heskey.
The winner will be announced at an event in late September, held at Lord's Cricket Ground, with a judging panel which includes the likes of Brian Moore, Darren Gough and Louise Minchin.
In the past the award has been won by autobiographies from the likes of Joey Barton, Andre Agassi and Gareth Southgate.
Reboot saw Owen open up on a number of controversial moments from his career, such as his regret over his move to Newcastle following just one season at Madrid.
"My move to Newcastle was one I really regret – I should have followed my gut instincts from the start. I didn’t want to go there – my heart was still set on a return to Liverpool," he writes in the book.
"Instead of straight-out saying: ‘If I come back to England, I’ll only be going back to Liverpool’ – which was how I felt – I think I said: ‘I’ll come back to the Premier League and I’ll look at my options when the time is right.’
"If I have any regrets in my career, declaring this stance at that moment would be one of the major ones. . ."
Reboot by Michael Owen is on sale now in paperback, hardback, ebook and audiobook: