Reboot: My Life, My Time

by Michael Owen

‘You may think you know my life. But this is the story I’ve been waiting to tell. It’s my time to set the record straight.’

One of the most naturally talented footballers of the modern era, Michael Owen’s career has always divided opinion among fans. From the age of only seven, his life was mapped out as a professional footballer. At 17, he made his Premier League debut. At 18, he was a Golden Boot winner and England’s youngest goalscorer at a World Cup. As he turned 22, he became the second youngest player to lift the Ballon d’Or. Owen would go on to lift every domestic trophy and play in three World Cups.
But his career path took him in directions he could never have foreseen. Lines were crossed. Headlines were written. Injuries took their toll. Fans made up their minds…
Owen penned a previous autobiography in 2004 but feels that only now, six years on from hanging up his boots, can he really open up on what really happened behind the scenes.

It makes for a revealing, explosive read.

Genres: Football, Biography, Sports, Soccer, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen was one of my favourite players that I’d enjoyed watching as I started getting hooked on watching as many games as I could as a teen.
He’s impact on the fact made a lasting impression as having big read a footballers book for a while, I was really keen to get this.

There’s no denying the talent he has as a teenager, that goal in the 1998 World Cup was something special.
Whilst being top scorer for Liverpool on multiple occasions just highlighted he’s talent, the impression I got was this was the only real happy spell in he’s career.

Much is made of his time at Newcastle and those sections are certainly the most entertaining aspects of this book, but I felt that it was he’s move to Real Madrid that shaped the rest of his career.
It’s quite ironic that the year Owen spent in Spain, Liverpool would win the Champions League.

The subsequent transfer choices were restricted from then on as Newcastle were the only Premier League team happy to meet the fee set by Real Madrid.
I also think Owen let’s that early success cloud his actual ability, the fact that he thinks The Championship is beneath him speaks volumes...

Owen sets to put he’s side across in an open and honest measured approach, the first half felt very nostalgic whilst the rest was quite revealing.

[Viktor Stoyanov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Като почитател на Ливърпул, запознах се с автобиографията на един от големите ни голаджии. Поне по времето, когато беше при нас, а и то съвпада с времето, когато най-много имах възможност и гледах Английско първенство.

Слабичка книга. Доминират оплакванията и обясненията. Не можах нещо полезно да извлека като цяло - 2-ра звезда само за головете му и играта при престоя на Анфийлд.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For somebody who professes they don’t care what people say about them, Michael Owen really does care an awful lot about what people say about him. He precursors a great majority of his scathing attacks with “no offence to them, but...”

It’s hard to feel sorry for somebody who blames everyone else for his misfortunes. Glad I read it, but can’t say I’d be picking it up again in the future.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woe is me.

[Yousif Al Zeera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching. Honest. Michael Owen opens himself up in a way few footballers ever dare.

Liverpool adored him, Madrid wanted him, Newcastle questioned him, United divided him. And yet, in all these places, in all these colors, he somehow ended up with no home.

His career is both glittering and conflicted. The goals, yes, but also the fractured ties with fans—disloyalty? Spoiled? Or just misunderstood?

Helicopters, horses, goals, injuries, rivalries, shifting loyalties.

The helicopter (and the horse racing as well) becomes a symbol. A machine of escape, of convenience, of distance. It carried him between Newcastle and Liverpool, but also away from the tribal loyalty fans demand. He became both near and far, present and absent. What is loyalty, after all? To a shirt? To a crowd? Or to yourself, your body, your family, your future?

This book is brutally honest—touching, raw, almost painful, ancd certainly unfiltered. It is about the price of being exceptional and the loneliness of being judged for every choice. Fame gives, but fame also corrodes. And when the cheers fade, what remains? Not the goals. Not the medals. Only the human being left to explain himself.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is not just football—it is about identity, distance, and the fragile bond between the one who performs and the many who watch.

[Dalius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Įžymaus futbolininko istorija, kuomet pagrindinė ašis ne futbolas, o pats žmogus. Šioje knygoje atletas pasakoja apie tai kaip priėmė svarbiausius sprendimus savo gyvenime, kokią įtaką jie turėjo ir kaip tai paveikė jį, kaip asmenybę.
Ši knyga išsiskyrė nuo daugelio kitų sporto asmenybių biografijų savo vidinio pasaulio atskleidimu bei detalių įvykių analizavimu.
Tai puiki knyga apie sportą, atleto gyvenimą ir žinoma, futbolą.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 /5

Say one thing about Michael Owen, say he doesn't do anything in this book to change the perception that he's egotistical.

I didn't read Owen's first book so I don't know how much detail went into his life as a child but being told that from the age of 6 his family's future was on his shoulders and that he was expected to become a professional footballer, it explains a lot.

If you aren't the biggest fan of his then this book will do nothing to change your mind. If you don't think that he was one of the all time greatest to ever kick a ball then don't worry because he'll tell you. A lot. Yes he was a very good footballer, and yes his later career was plagued with injuries, but after reading this you wouldn't be surprised if he announced on Twitter that he believes he shits gold out every morning.

His entire football career is documented. His beginnings at Liverpool (you're a kid and you're negotiating a big signing on fee??) his various transfers as well as his international career. And throughout all of this he "Sets the record straight" which basically equates to talking about how much better he was than those around, talking shit about other players and managers, and justifying things he's been slated for over the years.

I could talk about all the people he bashes but it'd take far too long. The ones that really stood out was David Beckham for his sending off against Argentina at the World Cup in '98 and the one that went on, and on, and on, Newcastle United. The former was bad enough as he bashed him for letting him down and robbing him of a potential World Cup winner's medal (I still don't think we'd have won) but with Newcastle.. Let's just say I can see why they can't stand him... Just to give one example, believing that you're too good a player to be at the club just makes you sound like an egotistical dick, and reiterating it in your book will do nothing to change the opinion.

There were glimmers of positivity but for the most part he came across as an unlikeable arsehole. Some of his opinions about fans' blindness when it comes to loyalty isn't entirely untrue, and whether Newcastle are only a big club because of the size of their stadium and fan-base may or may not be true (certainly not something I'm going to comment on) but how he felt expressing this in an autobiography would have their fans changing an overwhelming opinion of him I really don't know.

He addresses a lot of the stick he gets on Twitter towards the end of the book. And as much as he says he has a "shit filter" it clearly bothers him, despite claiming the opposite. Personally if I was him I'd stop using it, or hire a team to manage it and stay away from it altogether. Yes he shouldn't be made to feel like he can't the platform but if he gets as much abuse as he says for anything and everything he does then it would be for the best.

Not a great book. Too much proverbial dick sucking about his talent (and I'm not saying he wasn't talented but boy oh boy is he his own biggest fan) and a lot of mud slinging. A "tell my side of the story" autobiography should make you come across in a more positive light, this actually makes him seem more unlikeable than before I picked it up.

[Daniel Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairy honest, a little too defensive but very readable. It's been years since I've bothered with a sports autobiography (Gerrard's in 2015 was probably the last), but at the very least, Reboot feels like an accurate representation of its mercurial author. Certainly an interesting career to narrate.

[Rajdeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshingly honest..

[Eddie Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very honest account of Michael's life playing for Liverpool, England, Real Madrid, Newcastle & Man Utd. Doesn't pull any punches.Some good stories. He was a Great speedy & skilful goalscorer. His descriptions of some of the goals are really interesting & make you feel the excitement & tenacity of the games. Well worth a read.

[Denis Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well... 2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 because of all the good memories Owen has provided on the pitch. The first half of the book is really good, but (like Owen's career) the second half lacks a lot.
Michael Owen uses all of the second half of the book on the defensive. When he starts every other sentence with "I'm not trying to offend anyone, BUT" and then continues on a rambling about Newcastle being a small club, other players not being loyal to their clubs, the Liverpool fans not understanding the mindset of players etc etc etc, it just gets old very fast.
First half of the book is good 4/5 stars, but like Owen's career the second half is a big decline 1/5. Worth the read though.

[Sue Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely enjoyed reading this book. A very honest story that I can see has upset many but Michael you have been honest and you do say this throughout the book and I have enjoyed every minute of reading it and if anything I think it has made me admire you more.

[Colin A · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5. Quite open and didn’t hold back in a few areas, but I’d already heard a lot from the book in interviews he’d given just before I read it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very polarising! I read the reviews before I got the book and most of them said how arrogant he was and pre reading it they had liked him as a character and player.

Well to start with I couldn’t disagree more with the reviewers! I thought it was an honest, open, and decent account of life as a top footballer. I thought he was humble and really grounded. But that all changed when I got to the part about Newcastle. He comes across as an entitled, whiny, arrogant, and self-absorbed arsehole.

Alas enough of that. I’ve been a huge football fan all my life and I remember him bursting onto the scene as a wonder kid. However, in the years since his retirement, I forgot just how prolific a striker he was, and I wonder if he could have had an even more outstanding career if he played now with the current physio and medical knowledge, I guess we’ll never know.

It was strangely exciting to read about a match I was at. As a season ticket holder at The Valley during our glory years in the Premiership, I remember the 4-0 loss we suffered at the hands of Liverpool. It was incredibly interesting to read his opinions on various managers, and some of them were just how I expected, particularly Sam Allardyce, who according to Michael Owen was a particularly poor coach with awful tactics, I didn’t rate his tactical style either!

The book went on to discuss England managers, and during the dark times of McClaren, Capello and Eriksson I believed that the FA had a plan in place, that as fans we knew nothing about. And that they were all top managers who were the best people for the England job. On the contrary! Michal Owen discusses his view and experience in the various England camps during tournaments and they were shambolic and most of the players we’re very unhappy with the setup, formations and generally the management of the team.

I conclude with a criticism which is a little unfair given Michael Owen is not a writer but an elite sportsman. But my god he repeats the same awful phrases over and over. “on paper” and “the daring of football” to name just two. It reads like a repetitive GCSE English essay at times!

If you were a football fan in the 90’s and 2000’s then you’ll find this book well worth a read.

[Tyrone Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally 24 years ago yesterday, Michael Owen scored a hatrick in Munich in England's 5-1 destruction of Germany, a performance that reignited our country's march towards the 2002 World Cup. My girlfriend at the time said, literally, "I want to fuck Michael Owen". At the time, most England fans would have agreed. All these years later and Owen is something of a divisive figure in the game and his autobiography Reboot: My Life, My Time (2019) is his attempt to redress the balance. His thoughts on various managers, other players, his almost brutal honesty about his move to Newcastle, the injuries and his almost unheralded exit from the game are covered and more. This, ghost-written with Mark Eglinton, is well-written and easy to read and although I can't say Owen is particularly warm but he is candid when it comes to his thoughts on figures of the game and evens scores with those who he feels wronged him (Alan Shearer). Owen, to his credit, never coasted on false loyalties and stressed that football was his job and one he took seriously. All great goalscorers are inherently selfish - at least he admits to the mercenary nature of football. This book won't convert his critics but it is an illuminating insight to a man we all once loved.

[Natalie Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVED Michael Owen and enjoyed watching him on the football pitch! I picked up this book years ago thanks to some kindle credits. I should have read his first book because this one felt like he was whiny about his privileged life and how he was mistreated as a football professional when he disagreed with management. I honestly think less of Michael after reading this book. Yes, it was cool to read about some of the behind-the-scenes things but it felt like pages and pages of complaining!

1 Star - DNF
2 Stars - Finished but a genuine waste of time
3 Stars - Enjoyed while reading, no staying power
4 Stars - Enjoyed WITH staying power
5 Stars - Resonated in my soul and I continue to think about the book

[Peter P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually read one or two football biographies a year. It's my guilty pleasure. As a Liverpool fan, who remembers all too well how great Michael Owen was when he burst onto the scene, I was looking forward to this one. I'd have to say, it was largely a disappointment. It's not particularly well written, it comes across as very petty in numerous places, and it doesn't read much more than a chronological acccount of Owen's goals, injuries, and transfers. For such a storied player and career, it seems like he might have been coaxed (by a quality writer) into sharing more interesting stuff and allowing the reader to get beneath the list of surface-level stuff that really serves more like an expanded Wikipedia page than a book.

[Erlend Bergsagel · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times a very good book.

I understand why Owen needs to tell his story, he feels that he has been unrightfull treated and it is his right.
But at times it is a little to much: "this is my story or my side of the story." Don't believe what you heard or think you know.
I have to say that at times it is well written and a good chance to see his side. Example when he describes scoring the goal against Argentina. I liked the sories from his times in Newcastle- and he seems to be enjoying himself when talking about horses.
But I wish there was more of these moments.

It is not a bad football book. But I expected more.
Instead I am left with a question Did you enjoy football?

[Darragh Howley · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's a bit unbearable at the start and even comes across a bit tone deaf at times.

But I'm glad I stuck with it as I do think his career seems to divide a lot of opinions and I think because of that people forget or underestimate how good a footballer he was. At the end of the day he wanted to always come back to Liverpool but that's a decision that seemed to be out of his hands and he had a career to think about.

I wonder has he since talked to shearer or Beckham and any others he give very honest opinions about

[Sara F · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I enjoyed reading this book. Second, this book 367 pages of venting. The voice used to write the book is very defensive. He's also venting a lot of frustration he has with fans, the press, and people in the football business. Even though I often did not sympathise with the writer and at some points did not like him, the book is still and interesting insight into their perspective.

[Tmison89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Owen gets a bit of a bad rap, mainly nowadays for some of his commentary mistakes!

His autobiography is a strange one. Fair play to him for being so honest, but there's big parts where he comes across as a bit deluded.

Lines like, 'the doctor said I was the most mentally strong person he'd ever seen' don't help.

If you're a Newcastle fan you'll hate this one.

Overall an interesting insight, but spending too long on self congratulation for my liking.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

As football autobiographies go this is one of the better ones. Like all good books in this genre the gradual career decline is what interests most. While he can come across as a bit humourless at times there’s a refreshing honesty to his thoughts on club loyalty, players he played with, managers good and bad etc.

[Miss G Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest story

Michael tells you his story - warts and all. Towards the end of the book he is open about his family life, his dark/nasty side where he provoked arguments. Even when married his mum looked after his finances. A bizzare life for the guy you thought would be the boy next door.

[CromulentFellow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michael Owen is looking to set the story straight about his career however much like himself, it comes across as a little boring and over-inflated. There's nothing new in here, and Owen tries to position himself as an alpha male throughout the whole listen.

Unless you are the most ardent of Owen fans then I wouldn't really recommend.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It's better than the book he wrote in 2004 but that was also very good. This is better for a number of reasons. First of all, he has more to talk about since he has been at more clubs.He also is more honest because he wasn't attached to a club like he was in 2004. This book is informative, interesting and honest.

[Александър К. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Макар да бях чел първата книга и да бях скептичен какво ще предложи втора такава, бях изненадан приятно от откровенията на моя любим футболист и с откровеността му, с която споделя за някои не така приятни моменти от неговата кариера. Радвам се, че го видях в София и се снимахме и ми подписа първата книга, а съм още по-доволен, че прочетох и втората.

[Mark Maddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. Took lots of risks and didn’t play safe and the result is a refreshingly honest book.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest football auto-biography i have ever read. It’s brutally honest and is a truly interesting and outstanding read throughout.
I highly recommend this book!

[Paul McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better footballer's autobiographies

[Will Cutforth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have to say the guy was one of my favourite players but what an obnoxious disrespectful arsehole to clubs that gave him a chance when no-one else would.