LONDON - Former England star and Stoke City striker Michael Owen has confirmed he will retire at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Owen, who at his peak was one of world football's most feared strikers, turned 33 in December and since joining Stoke City from Manchester United in September has scored only once in six substitute appearances in the Premier League.
The striker said in a statement on his official website: "It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire from professional football at the end of this season."
Owen scored 40 goals for England in 89 appearances, though the last of those came in 2007 against Russia as he was cast into the international wilderness by Fabio Capello. The highlights of his England career include a seminal goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup at the age of just 18 and a hat-trick against Germany in Munich in 2001.
He will leave a legacy as one of the most talented strikers England has seen in the modern era, having scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool as well as winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in 2001.
He also went on to represent Real Madrid, Newcastle United and Manchester United, where he won the Premier League in 2011, before joining Stoke.