"Owen Hargreaves shares his disappointment after England's triumphant 5-1 over Germany and being released by Bayern Munich"
New Take on the Heartbreaking Drop of Owen Hargreaves
English midfielder Owen Hargreaves shared his bitter-sweet memories of 2001, when he helped England nail a historic 5-1 victory over Germany in Germany, only to be dropped by Bayern Munich soon after the stunning triumph.
September 2001, Munich wasn't the friendliest of terrains for the English squad. The Three Lions had never tasted victory in Germany since 1965, and the recent defeats, like the last-minute goal by Dietmar Hamann that stole the show at the old Wembley, still haunted the English psyche. But, this time around, a different story was unfolding.
"Devastated" Owen: "I Blew It All Up"
England's hopes for another glorious night were dashed within six minutes as Carsten Jancker put Bayern on the scoreboard. However, Michael Owen equalized the game quickly, and Steven Gerrard found the back of the net just as the clock ticked toward halftime, giving England the edge.
Owen, bagging his second hat-trick in the Euro qualifiers, sealed the deal with a brace after the break, with Emile Heskey adding another to make it 5-1 in favor of the Three Lions. Hargreaves, brimming with excitement, made his second England appearance minutes later, eventually becoming the first player to represent England without ever having set foot in the country.
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With such an incredible year behind him, Hargreaves expected a continuous ride of success. But fate had other plans.
In a candid conversation with our website, the then-20-year-old Hargreaves revealed, "That was a wild time for me. We'd just won the Champions League final with Bayern, I was playing for the first team regularly, and I got called up to play for the England team, so I was flying. But that game was an odd one from a personal perspective. I was living in Munich, hoping I'd get on. We battered Germany 5-1, and I was dropped by Bayern after that win. I don't think it was anything petty; I think they just thought it was all going a bit too fast for me and I needed to cool down. But I was devastated as I'd been on this great run."
The Stormy Aftermath
Hargreaves managed to reclaim his place in the Bayern team, helping the club to three more Bundesliga titles before joining Manchester United in 2007. Despite helping Sir Alex Ferguson's side clinch the league title and Champions League in his first season, Hargreaves struggled with frequent injuries and retired in 2012.
Owen Hargreaves was speaking to our website on behalf of TNT Sports.
In retrospect, Hargreaves' victory with England may have ignited a chain of events that ended his unbroken streak with Bayern Munich. While details regarding the decision remain sketchy, it's safe to say that being dropped had a profound impact on his career.
Despite the thrilling victory over Germany that secured Owen Hargreaves' place in the England team and propelled him to a promising career start at Bayern Munich, the midfielder was shocked when he was dropped from the team just after the Champions League win. Unexpectedly, this European-leagues triumph seemed to open a chapter of setbacks, with Hargreaves admitting that his career took an unexpected turn after his outstanding performance in the football match.
