#rival stars horse racing thoroughbred

[rivalstarsracinggirl]

A very pretty all A+ 5* collared appaloosa stallion I bred recently!

[ofhoovesandheart]

flightline!! ✈️

[agirlwithmagicpals]

🏇🎠🐎 horses

[horsegirlz]

Rival Stars Horse Racing talk... why is it so hard for horse game devs to focus?

This is more of a personal commentary on what's been happening with Rival Stars, which I generally consider one of the best modern horse games (which sadly isn't a high bar to meet).

They've announced the release of another new breed (for mobile, assumably later for desktop), the Mustang:

It seems very random to me. This game was foundationally built on horse racing and only had the Thoroughbred as its sole breed for many years, until they added the Selle Francais in 2023, Arabian later in 2023, Quarter Horse in 2024.

While I don't inherently think adding different breeds was a bad choice, Mustangs are hardly known as sport horses. This game doesn't feature much in the ways of everyday equestrian life outside of high level sports - listening to player demand, they have added some casual things like a free roam mode, and a pasture to keep horses in where you can see them just chill. But there isn't much in ways of customising your character, and there is no way to walk around your stable, groom your horses, etc (though it's cute that you can poke them and they'll react). The game is focused on sports and on breeding better horses for sports.

The game originally only featured flat racing, but added in cross country in 2021 (2022?) and steeplechase in 2023, and a show jumping mechanic is on its way (the arena has been in early access for subscribers on mobile during 2024, and added this week to desktop edition, but is not yet a competitive mode).

One major issue - to me - is that the sports gameplay should always be the foundational focus of this game, and I don't feel that the cross country has gotten as much depth as it absolutely should have by now (2 or so years later). New courses? Continued storyline? AFAIK, not much has happened in a long time, instead they rolled out steeplechase and now show jumping.

They should focus on adding more courses and stories to the things they've introduced, instead of to throw in more and more things into the soup. Why add mustangs? Are they going to add in western sports next, and then neglect that and not add in new courses and stories for that either and move on to something else?

Adding new coat variations is one thing, because the breeding and the pretty horses is an important part of the game. And I can accept the idea of adding in some typical sporty breeds, because it fits the theme of the game, even if it also seems a bit unnecessary compared to working on extensions to the gameplay. (I just found out while googling stuff for this post that they also added the Knabstrupper earlier this year. Since I'm a passive player and mostly keeping my eye on gameplay updates to see when it's worth coming back to play again, I didn't even notice.)

They do make money on mobile by selling microtransaction (macrotransaction?) horses to people who clearly have no awareness to the value of money. So yes, on that end, releasing new fancy horses that make "whales" want to throw their apparently value-less money onto yet another virtual horse while refusing to stop buying products made in sweatshops or with slavery or with toxic materials and shipped across the planet to pollute a little extra on top (if you aren't who I'm describing, then don't take offense. If you are who I'm describing, please question your views on consumption and capitalism), sure, it's a decision that makes sense from a capitalist perspective. Release fancy horse, get money from consumption addicts. It "makes sense".

But capitalist perspectives are unethical and irrelevant. From a design and quality perspective, where you take pride in creating a good high quality product first and foremost and are aware to your effects on the world and the contexts you exist within, focusing on something largely cosmetic that barely ties in with the theme of the game does not make sense.

It's nice that PikPok listen to player feedback. It's nice that something that started as a racing game designed largely for the typical horse racing audience, was quickly overtaken by horse game enthusiasts and horse lovers that weren't the original expected audience, and that the company saw this and were ready to adapt and listen to requests they hadn't seen coming.

But, at the end of the day, I'm confused - where are the cross country courses? Where are the storylines? Not developing the potential quality and depth of the sports gameplay mechanics within reasonable time frames, and instead adding in horse breeds that don't fit the theme of the game, doesn't seem to make sense from a design and quality perspective.

There is one interesting factor in all this, which is that PikPok are currently developing a VR version of Rival Stars.

It seems that in this version, you'll be able to pet and groom the horses, and interact with them - and potentially the stable and the grounds - in a direct way. This is something we don't have in the mobile or desktop versions of the game.

This is a very welcome development for many (aside from the lack of access to VR equipment for most people), since a large chunk of Rival Stars players have been asking for exactly these types of everyday equestrian additions to the game - not because it makes sense to put it into their racing game that didn't originally feature these types of content, but because the horse gamer audience is desperate for good horse games, and when one shows up, we wish it would feed into as many of our horse game desires as possible.

And from my perspective, it makes a lot more sense to develop a separate version of Rival Stars - like this VR version - that is designed from the beginning with the intention to have more everyday equestrian things, more interactions with the horses and the environment - and if I could decide myself, then also decent customisation options for the player character and the stables. It doesn't necessarily make sense to change the original game to have the option to walk around the stables and pet the horses - sure, it would've been nice, but ultimately, that's not what the game is, and neglecting the core part of the game (developing the sports further, more courses) is not a good trade for it.

Personally, I think that they could've also turned the desktop version into a more expanded version of the mobile game. I think it's very possible to put resources into developing walkable stables and groomable horses and customisable content into the desktop version while keeping the mobile one highly focused on the sports and breeding (due to mobile game limitations).

I'd love to see lots of different courses and environments, the ability to ride along a beach or a snowy forest or a desert, whether in free roam and taking photos (especially if we had better character customisation and tack options), or in fun and varied races in the different disciplines. I'd be ready to pay money for DLC to Rival Stars desktop, whether it's new areas to ride in or additional packs of breeds and cosmetics, if it was fairly priced.

I would welcome the addition of the mustang and could see western sports along with it and the quarter, if it made sense for the game it was being added to - an imaginary version of what Rival Stars could be. Not what Rival Stars is right now.

[rabbithaver]

it's 2 AM and i'm sitting on my bed playing Rival Stars Horse Racing with Silver on my lap. every time we win, Silver cheers, and i give him a kiss on his forehead. he complains, but i can tell he likes it <3 he's such a cutie pie.

we had a foal reach adulthood in game, and he wanted to name it after his best friend. it was against the naming scheme i have set up for Thoroughbreds, but i can't say no to his cute little face, and he knows it. so everyone, say hello to Queen Blaze!

i don't have any lilac tack unlocked yet and probably won't for awhile, which he found very frustrating. ("It's a very common color! You would think that given how common it is, they would have it!")

he wants me to name a horse after him, and i do intend on doing that, but i have to level up in Prestige so i can clear some space in my barn first...

[domesticated-feral]

I love Teen Wolf (well known fact), I also love Horses (going 14 years strong on this one) and there's this game called Rival Stars which I absolutely love...and go insane over.

Anyways point of this post is that I'm going to assign horses that I have in Rival Stars to Teen Wolf Characters :D

My criteria in choosing the horses is 1. Pretty coat that matches the character, 2. Type of breed aligning with what I think they'd ride the horse in (racing, steeplechase, cross country) and 3. Anything else that makes me compelled to line up the horse with the character (be it the name, the stats, or just the personality/lore of the horse that I've created in my head)

Scott McCall - Solar Eclipse

A Selle Français mare that has a copper chestnut coat diluted with champagne and dapples. She's got a calm, willing temperament. Scott and Solar Eclipse compete in Steeplechase!

Stiles Stilinski - Sandwich Thief

Sandwich Thief is a Thoroughbred Stallion that is unashamedly my most favorite horse in Rival Stars regardless of stats. His coat is a blood bay with no dilution and he's got blotch dapples. He has a headstrong temperament and can form deep loyal bonds with the rider. Stiles and Sandwich Thief compete in Flat Racing!

Allison Argent - Equine Effect

An Arabian Mare with a double dilution champagne on a flaxen chestnut coat. Her pattern is a roaning blanket appaloosa. She is inquisitive and has a sassy attitude, especially during training. Allison and Equine Effect compete in Cross Country!

Lydia Martin - Starry Truth

Star is a Thoroughbred mare with a grey-diluted golden bay coat and a marbled leopard pattern which in my opinion looks soo glitz and glam. (Her tackset is really pretty too) She can be a bit stubborn especially if she hasn't trained in a bit but when she's not, her potential really shines through. Lydia and Starry Truth compete in Cross Country!

Jackson Whittemore - Champion’s Chronicle

Champion is a Thoroughbred stallion with a copper chestnut coat, no dilutions, no flashy markings either. He’s a hard worker and mirrors Jackson in a quite number of ways. Coming from a line of exemplary horses, Champion’s Chronicle is really a Champion on the racetrack. Jackson and Champion’s Chronicle compete in Flat Racing!

this is part 1/(suspected) 5 of this saga

part 2 / part 3

[lovelyllamasblog]

Twisted Wonderland Pretty Derby AU

Inspired by Uma Musume: Pretty Derby and @phnxart/@phoenix-manga's oc Ru Khan. (Picrew)

Background:

Derby Racing was once a popular betting sport among all races in Twisted Wonderland. However, the conditions that the racers were in were deplorable and was an open secret of those who partook in the sport. Only after an expose was written that the general rose up in defense of the racers. The outcry was so loud that many governments around the world forced the racetracks to close down, causing many to go underground, though those were quickly disbanded too. After some time, some retired derby racers brought it back under a new name; the IDRC (International Derby Racing Committee), with new rules and regulations for derby racers and their trainers.

👑Aurelia Crowne (Gold Crown)

is a champion racer and actress. She is a descendent of champion derby racers and is very proud of that fact. She is known for her luscious blonde mane that she maliciously maintains. She has starred in a few movies and TV shows alongside Vil and Neige in the off season. She is from the Shaftlands (Land of Pyroxene). She announces her retirement sometime after the Rookies join the derby, though she plans to continue acting. Horse Breed: Akhal-Teke

💮Mai Khan (Moon Blossom)

is from the Far East and is a favorite among fans. She is known for her endurance and last minute spurts. She, Aurelia, and Amira are all long time friends and rivals. In the off season, she tends to spend it training in her hometown or helping with education for young children. She wants to become an educator after her retirement. She has a younger cousin who is studying at a special school. Horse Breed: Ferghana

🐎Amira Ahmad (Sultana)

is a racer from the Scalding Sands and is sponsored by the Asim family. She has known Kalim and Jamil since they were children. She is known for her beauty and grace on and off the track. Her speed is incredible, as she trains on the desert sands back home. She works as a model on the off season and has worked with Vil. She wants to retire from both derby racing and modeling to settle down with her partner. Horse Breed: Arabian

🌹Roselia McQueen (Rose Queen)

is from the Queendom of Roses and also works as an idol. She often performs before or after a race. She is known for her cuteness and often has a horde of fans at every race. She uses her smaller stature to her advantage and will slip in and out of the herd to get ahead. She is super cheerful and happy-go-lucky most of the time, though she is often exhausted from doing both derby racing and her idol work at once. She looks up to Amira the most. Horse Breed: Thoroughbred

🌟Kassandra Filo (Dusk)

is the representative of the Kingdom of Heroes and is a very serious racer, though she is often a little too boastful. She is sponsored by the Jupiter Conglomerate and gets the best training equipment and facilities (in her words). Like Aurelia, her family comes from a long line of derby racers. She considers herself Aurelia’s rival and successor, which is why Aurelia’s announcement of retirement hits her the hardest. She is known for her strength and durability when racing. She also knows Idia, but only in passing. Horse Breed: Andravida

🐚Maleia Kai (Seabiscuit)

is from the ocean (literally) and is the first Seahorse to enter the derby. Her original form resembles a seahorse and she loves to ‘run’ underneath the waves. When she was first on land for the first time, she started running, which caught the attention of her sponsor, who offered to help her by donating money to the institution that helps merfolk come on land. She is very adventurous and curious about the world above. She surprisingly loves spicy food. Horse Breed: Seahorse

🦅Dakota Bylilly (Spirit)

is one of the newest racers to enter the racetrack. She comes from a small community far inland between the Shaftlands and the Sunset Savannah. She was chosen to race by her sponsor after they saw her running with her younger siblings. They promised to help her get developers off and preserve her people’s sacred land. She is also running to help her younger sister the medical help she needs. (Inspired by Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) Horse Breed: Kiger Mustang

🦓Zuri Ajala (Racing Stripes)

is the first Zebra to enter the derby races and is considered an ‘underdog’ by the community. She is spirited and often hotheaded, but also mindful and often gives advice to the other racers. She, Dakota, and Helena become known as ‘The Rookies’ and form a close bond similar to that of Aurelia, Mai, and Amira. She was running in her village and happened upon a lost lion boy. She picked him up and ran him to her uncle, the village chief. She was surprised to learn that the lion she helped was actually Prince Cheka. He liked her so much that the royal family decided to sponsor her racing ambitions. (Inspired by Racing Stripes) Horse Breed: Plains Zebra

🦄Helena Belrose (Midnight Black)

is from the Valley of Thorns and a descendent of unicorns through her mother. Her father's family are former derby racers who retired after the races were outlawed and moved to the Valley when he was young. She inherited her mane from him and healing powers from her mother, who looks like a typical unicorn beastman. Due to living in an isolated place, she is very shy around new people, but puts on a facade of someone who is capable but often comes off as arrogant. She is older than Aurelia, but younger than Malleus. She is sponsored by the royal family and has a large amount of admiration for Malleus. Horse Breed: Unicorn

❄️Colette Freesia (Snowshoe)

is a racer from the City of Flowers and a scholarship student at Noble Bell. She is mainly quiet and keeps to herself, even among her peers and other derby racers. She grew up in the mountains and was introduced to derby racing by a family friend. She sees racing as an escape from the farm she grew up on and her close, tight knit family. She forms a rivalry with Helena and a close friendship/mentorship with Roselia. She is the smallest in her family, even smaller than her younger siblings, and the only one with a white mane. Horse Breed: Friesian

[roguemonsterfucker]

Not to sound insensitive on the tail of that post but. As someone who lives in an apartment and desperately wishes they could have horses, what are your game recs?

Not insensitive at all! 🥰 I'm always happy to talk horse games!

First off, I have a Somewhat Comprehensive List of Horse Games over on one of my side blogs. For just a general, mostly unbiased, list of games, that's a good place to go.

For my personal game recs... Well.

The game I play the most is Horse Isle 3, but I can't easily say I'd recommend it for... reasons.

Issues of management aside, HI3 is the most in-depth horse breeding simulator available to date. You can breed not only for different colors and markings, but due to the robust breeding system, you can breed for all sorts of shapes and sizes. It is very much a "make your own fun" type game, which doesn't appeal to everyone, and it can be stressful if you want to manage breeding projects because time passes whether you play or not and horses can die of old age.

If anyone does wish to join Horse Isle 3, please feel free to contact me so I can help you out. The way it's set up is actively hostile to new players and basically requires established players to help new folks in order for the new folks to make progress in their early days without mindlessly grinding for resources. Oh, also, feel free to use my referral code. 🤐

Aside from HI3, another game I've been playing a lot is Ranch of Rivershine. It's in the "cozy game" genre and it's completely single player (unlike HI3 which is an MMO). While Ranch of Rivershine doesn't have realistic genetics, it does have a wide range of beautiful coat colors and it's own genetics system that even I, someone obsessed with horse genetics, enjoy playing with. It's simple and straightforward, making it much easier to breed for the colors you want than a realistic genetics system would be.

The only other game I play regularly is Rival Stars: Horse Racing. It's very different from the other games as it's based around the sport of horse racing, with cross county and steeplechase being added more recently. There used to only be one breed, the Thoroughbred, but a very recent update added the Selle Francis and Arabian. There are lots of colors and patterns to breed for, but it has a completely nonsensical breeding system that really irritates me lol. But the horses can be quite stunning, which makes up for it... some of the time. 😂 I play on the PC, but there is a mobile version as well. The two are very different in some ways but the basis is the same. However, the mobile game will constantly push microtransactions on you and the PC game is a one time purchase with no transactions afterwards. I highly suggest the PC game, but you can always test the mobile version for free to see if you like it at all before buying the PC version.

Rival Stars is single player, but you can race against friends on PC with multiplayer game modes.

Honorable Mention: Star Stable Online.

I only pop on every once in a while to look at the pretty horses. It's a completely quest based game, and I used to enjoy the quests, but now I really just don't like it much. Aside from quests, it's mainly a game for collecting pretty horses. No breeding, just paying the premium currency to get new horses. It's really good if you just enjoy riding high quality horses around a pretty map (which I do sometimes!), but not good for much else for me. Since it's an MMO, there are a lot of social elements to it that others enjoy, but I'm antisocial so that holds no appeal for me.

So... All that to say...

My #1 recommendation right now is Ranch of Rivershine.

It's a bit grindy (which everyone seems to think is bad, but I like grindy lol), but it's super simple, super cute, and is just a nice and chill time. If the controls were more suited to how my hands work, I'd probably play it as much if not more than HI3.

Ranch of Rivershine also is an early access game that is regularly getting updates! There's a new update coming soon that will add foal training and personalities to the horses.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Or tell me what type of game you're looking for and I can see if I can find one that better suits you!

[sineala]

Were you to do a Steve/Tony Sports AU, what sport would you pick? And would they be teammates, rival competitors, player & some kind of staff or media personal or something?

Or if not sports, do you have any favorite AU occupations for the, like chefs or teachers or something?

Thank you for giving me the excuse to post my amazing idea, "AvX But It's Baseball Instead Of Punching" which has been sitting in my random snippets doc for two years: AVX BUT IT'S BASEBALL INSTEAD OF PUNCHING: Tony: Wait, Colossus is pitching? How many people did you say we got to veto on the other team because of unfair powers? Scott: We used both of ours on Wanda and Strange. You get one more if you're still saying no to Emma. Steve: Okay. Still hanging onto that veto, then. Piotr: Da. I pitch. Logan: Fastball special, bub. Tony, spluttering: Whose team are you on, anyway? Tony, suspiciously: …whose team are you on, anyway? Tony: Oh, goddammit. Steve: Next? Scott: Nightcrawler. Steve: Hmm. You can keep him. Tony: Oh, come on. Steve. Steve. You want to win, right? The guy is basically a free base hit whenever he's up. Steve: Yeah, but he has to get a hit first. Tony: And who's our starting pitcher, then? Steve: Pietro. Scott: I'd like to take back that veto on Strange. Steve, cheerfully: No. So as far as I'm concerned, it absolutely has to be a baseball AU. Because Steve loves baseball. But I also feel like it would be much more interesting if they all still had their powers -- and we know in fact that there is canonically Avengers baseball, which is why I love Avengers Annual #15. (You will note that Steve is the pitcher for the East Coast team; Jan is catching him.)

I feel like baseball-with-powers fic would also be fun because you have to balance "characters whose powers would make them unfairly good at baseball" with "characters who have some idea how to play baseball" and as you can see from Avengers Annual #15 there, some of the characters who would be good at baseball also do not have much experience with the rules of baseball. Like, Steve is not The Strongest but he probably has a better chance at being a good pitcher than most of the Avengers who are stronger than him, since he has more baseball experience than most of them, daily experience throwing things, and also very good aim. I feel like he's probably actually a sidearm pitcher just from sheer muscle memory alone. I have probably thought too much about this.

Anyway, whether or not it's a full AU, given the affection that actual baseball fandom clearly has for batterymates (I feel like the fact that the term "batterymates" exists is a big tip-off), pitcher/catcher is the easy option because watching a really good battery is mesmerizing. (Last year's All-Star Game, where they routinely mic up some of the players, had Cortes and Trevino, who were on the AL team and are Yankees teammates the rest of the year so they already have experience together -- anyway, they were both on mic for an entire inning working together, which was really neat to watch.)

However, it almost seems too easy, so, you know. I would have to think about it. Pitcher/pitcher and catcher/catcher has potential -- and, say, outfielders would be an interesting pick just because it'd be different. I suppose "rivals" also has potential, provided they're divisional or historical rivals getting to play a lot and in that case they both gotta be infielders just so they can have emotional conversations when someone gets a base hit.

Oh! I also have a very meticulously planned (I mean, half-planned but it's the thought that counts) AU in which Steve and Tony are both involved in 1930s Thoroughbred racing. Because this is one of the few professions where pre-serum Steve's physique is (probably) an asset and also he would enjoy a job that is basically "go really fast and possibly die." Tony is an owner/trainer and Steve is one of his jockeys and together they're gonna win the Triple Crown. Steve will be riding Tony's horses (and also eventually Tony).

I must confess that I started planning it out solely because I had the idea that Tony could name his horses the same names as all the armors he designed in 616 and then it occurred to me that "War Machine" would 100% be an appropriate horse name in that era. Yes, I do think I'm hilarious.

[blueroansnbuckskins]

Anyone else play this game on mobile? I have found it to be quite enjoyable 🥰

Note: these horses are from my first and second try at this. I actually got pretty bored with my first account so many of the horses are new. Norway is my favorite horse, but I still can’t get him to pass the marking genes to any of my foals. 😞

[rivalstarsracinggirl]

Unfortunately had to have another clear out of the pretty pony pasture :(

[horsegirlz]

Rival Stars Horse Racing: Desktop Edition has received an update today that introduces American Quarter Horses as well as the crossbreeding mechanic. Crossbreeding seems like an update worth posting about to me! The addition of the AQH brings the available breeds to a total of 4, with the Thoroughbred, Selle Francais and Arabian.

[domesticated-feral]

welcome back to another post of feral assigns horses from fav horse game ever to tw characters!

Derek Hale - Lost Control

Lost Control a.k.a Connie is a Selle Français mare with a black coat, no dilutions and a lacing dapple pattern. She is quite sensitive and in tune to the rider which makes competing with her a breeze. Derek and Lost Control compete in Steeplechase!

Peter Hale - Millionaire’s Tax

Millionaire's Tax is a Thoroughbred mare with a champagne-diluted copper chestnut coat and a splendid pinto pattern. A willing temperament, she will take on anything with no fuss as long as the rider is confident in the seat. Peter and Millionaire’s Tax compete in Flat Racing!

Isaac Lahey - Party Animal

Party is a Thoroughbred mare with a blood bay coat with double-dilution gray. She's a happy-go-lucky sociable horse and demands treats from anyone who dares walk by her stall. Isaac and Party Animal compete in Flat Racing!

Erica Reyes - Golden Enigma

Goldy is a Thoroughbred mare with an amber chestnut coat diluted with cream. She's picky from the type of feed she gets to the people who handle her but very loyal to those she likes. Erica and Golden Enigma compete in Flat Racing!

Vernon Boyd - Cowboy's Fantasy

Cowboy is a Quarter Horse stallion with a copper chestnut coat and pretty moderate rabicano markings. He's agile and diligent to the rider's instructions. Boyd and Cowboy's Fantasy compete in Barrel Racing! (I'd like to hope that rival stars brings in western disciplines into the game now that there's quarter horses in game, okay?)

part 2/(suspected) 5 of this saga

part 1 / part 3

[gadgetsrevv]

Michael Owen shows he’s not just Mr. Nice Guy, ranting about Liverpool, Man United, fan hate and his regrets

MALPAS, England — Michael Owen laughs a lot. It’s one of the first things you notice when you are in the company of the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United forward. The common perception of Owen is that he is, and always has been, an extreme version of the modern-day sportsman who has been managed and polished to within an inch of his life, but the reality is very different.

We are chatting in the Owners Lounge at Manor House Stables, a thoroughbred horse racing training complex deep in the Cheshire countryside, which was nothing more than a cattle barn when Owen bought the land in 2007 as a post-football investment. While the camera is being set up in the stables to film Owen’s first interview since the publication of extracts of his autobiography, “Reboot,” we discuss the fallout from the book, including headlines about his broken relationship with Alan Shearer, controversy surrounding his comments about former club Newcastle United and criticism of David Beckham. (And, of course, two of his former clubs square off this weekend when Liverpool host Newcastle at Anfield.)

There has been widespread surprise at Owen’s candour and readiness to be blunt; it’s a side of his character he’s kept well-hidden since bursting onto the scene as a teenage sensation with Liverpool in 1997. But he laughs again when reminded of the time he scored his first goal for Manchester United. It came at Wigan in August 2009 and after the match, Owen walked past reporters asking for a post-match quote before turning on his heels to tell them to “F— off, because you’re always caning me…”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t have been a first,” he said, laughing. “I was probably right as well!”

– ESPN’s Ultimate XI: This team would win everything – Lukaku’s mission: Win at Inter, prove Man United wrong – Harding: The real reason Bundesliga is king

Owen is surprised that people have been surprised about his true personality, but he hasn’t lost any sleep over it.

“I’ve taken my tin hat off to chat about this!” Owen tells ESPN FC, following the initial reaction to the revelations in his book. “I’ve written a book that’s open and honest, talking about my career. It’s been interesting, quite a therapeutic process in the beginning, but now that it’s in the mainstream, it’s causing quite a lot of opinion.

“But look, to get to the top of any profession, you need unbelievable drive, confidence and the ability to filter out anything that is going to have negative impact on your mind.”

Owen is known for his safe public persona but in retirement and with his memoir released, he isn’t afraid to speak out.

Behind the laughter and the smile, it is fairly obvious that Owen is a tough, hard character to the point of appearing cold to outsiders. Perhaps it’s a result of being a child prodigy, the son of a former professional footballer (Terry Owen played over 300 games, including a spell at Everton) who spent his young life being groomed for the stardom which came at such an early stage of his career.

By the time he was 18, Owen had become a first-team regular at Liverpool and emerged from the 1998 World Cup as the most-talked about teenager on the planet after scoring his stunning individual goal during the second round defeat against Argentina. He was the Kylian Mbappe of his day, his scorching pace combined with an ability to score goal after goal after goal, but there was always an element of the “brand” being the most precious commodity, with Owen’s persona carefully managed to the extent that he never quite connected with supporters at any of his clubs.

Opinions back then were simply not on the agenda.

“A lot of the time when you are playing, you are slightly gagged,” Owen says. “You can’t be talking about Liverpool if you play for Man United.”

He scored 158 goals in 297 games for Liverpool but even at Anfield the affection for Owen is lukewarm, at best, largely because he signed for bitter rivals United after leaving Newcastle in 2009.

“When I left Newcastle, the two real options were Everton — David Moyes wanted to sign me — and Manchester United,” said Owen. “You could say that I was doomed to be criticised by Liverpool fans at that time, no matter what I did, because their two biggest rivals were the two biggest moves for me. But that’s fine. I’m certainly not sitting here apologising for anything.

“If I had the time again, in that situation, I would do the same again. In no other walk of life would you be criticised for having ambition: people would applaud it. But because I chose to sign for a club at the top, to play in the Champions League, you get castigated for the colour of your shirt. I’m never going to change that ‘you wore red, he wore blue, so I hate you,’ mentality.”

There it is again: that cold, hard honesty. Owen just does not do sentiment or play the game of telling supporters what they want to hear.

In his book, Owen admits that by the time he left Liverpool for Real in 2004, he was earning more from commercial deals than from club wages at Anfield, an admission that underlines not only his global status at the time, but also that sense of Owen the brand being bigger than Owen the footballer. As Sir Alex Ferguson says in the foreword to the book, “another factor in Michael’s career was the way he led his life; no arrogance, no partying, a good family life, respect for his parents, his manager and team-mates: all in all, a completely rounded young man.”

The problem for Owen, though, is that all of the above conspired to create the image of a footballer who was hard to love. “Over the years, I’ve inevitably run into a fair amount of criticism about various aspects of my career,” he said. “In my case, people complained that I wasn’t loyal enough to this or that club, was ‘always injured,’ boring.”

But does it bother him? Does he care?

“A throwaway line from Alex Inglethorpe, the Academy Director at Liverpool, summed up everything for me,” Owen writes in his book. “He told me that I had the best s— filter of anyone he’d ever met. To many, all I’ve ever been is a voice — a not very interesting one at that, some would say — or a face on a television screen.

“This ‘s— filter’ is at the core of it all and I hope everyone enjoys getting a brief glimpse into my head.”

April 12, 1999. It was certainly the end of the beginning for Michael Owen but the subsequent years also proved it to be the beginning of the end and, in many ways, the root cause of those accusations that he was injury prone.

Liverpool played Leeds United at Elland Road. Steve McManaman split the Leeds defence with a pinpoint pass to Owen, who collected the ball and raced towards goal until he pulled up sharply and collapsed to the ground on the edge of the penalty area. The Leeds crowd cheered, mocking Owen as he rolls around on the turf, clutching his right hamstring, which is torn from the tendon. The YouTube footage is difficult to watch considering the implications of the injury.

Owen was still only 19 at the time. He would go on to win the Ballon d’Or two years later and move to Real in 2004, but he tells ESPN FC that the injury at Leeds changed everything to the point that he could have quit in his mid-20s.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” he said. “Back in the day, when I did the injury, they didn’t do surgery on muscle [injuries]. If they did, it was extremely rare, so it was an injury that was going to catch up with me later in life, mainly in terms of speed, and this is one of the most frustrating things about what people have accused me of when I have said that, in the last few years of my career, I didn’t enjoy it as much as in my early years.

“I think that’s a perfectly fine and honest thing to say. I was right at the top of my game and I have countless recollections to prove how high my standing was during the first half of my career, but just think of the mental toll it takes when you’ve done that but then have to accept that players who are, with all due respect, half as talented as you, almost taking the ball off you.

“At 26, I couldn’t even run past them anymore. I was having to tell myself to link the play because I couldn’t sprint into channels anymore. It was alien to me, of course I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did when I was at my best.”

Owen, left, was prolific for Liverpool but a serious injury at 19 set the tone for several tough fitness issues in the later half of his career.

Losing his trademark pace was like a master craftsman being unable to use his tools and Owen could sense his decline. In his book, he admits that the root of his rift with Shearer stemmed from the then-Newcastle manager believing that Owen was refusing to risk his fitness to help save the club from relegation.

Knee, hamstring and foot injuries marred Owen’s career at Newcastle, restricting him to just 71 Premier League games in four seasons at St James’ Park. He had a similarly injury-affected three seasons at Manchester United, making just 31 league appearances (he only started six league games for the club), but having been one of the biggest stars in world football as a teenager, he claims it was “torture” to have to endure such a painful decline.

“I enjoyed the game throughout,” he said. “I’d have stopped playing at 25 if I hated it that much. I love the game now, I loved it at 33, but the mental torture of not being able to do what you could once do — the brain is still telling you to do it — you think, come and get it to feet because you can’t expose yourself to sprinting.

“The older I got, the slower and slower I got, but how do you get used to being ‘just a player?’ My brain, my heart, my everything is about being the best and when I couldn’t be, it was just torture in my mind to feel like that. I can’t understand how people don’t understand that.

“I was almost dying a slow death when I was playing. The last year at Stoke, I hardly played, and it made my mind up. I vividly remember playing away at Crystal Palace. I hadn’t played for six months, I was on the bench, hardly getting on, and I played [at Palace] and I just thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ I’m just not as fast or as strong as anyone anymore. Yes, I could still finish as well as anyone in the six-yard box, but I just vividly remember that I wasn’t capable anymore.”

For a player who achieved so much, Owen has a surprisingly long list of regrets. He smiles about them, and does not project the image of a man weighed down by questions of what might have been, but they are there nonetheless.

Owen left Liverpool a year before Rafael Benitez’s team won the Champions League in 2005, spent just one year in Spain with Real Madrid, signed for Manchester United a month after the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez and was part of the so-called “Golden Generation” of Beckham, Ferdinand, Scholes, Terry et al, which failed to win a major tournament with England.

But such is Owen’s character, and his pursuit of absolute excellence, that it appears he relishes setting his personal bar so impossibly high.

“I’m wired in a certain way,” he said. “I’ll regret anything if I can. If I win the league, I regret not winning it twice. If I win the Ballon d’Or, I want to win it two or three times. That’s the way you have to think if you are at the top of your profession. But if I had one regret, with all the players we had, nobody will ever convince me that we didn’t have an amazing team with England. It was so frustrating that we never won anything.

“Yet my trophy collection is my pride and joy, my memories. Sometimes, you have a little five minutes looking at them, remembering how you did it, because the evidence is there. You just go into a room and see it all shining.”

One of those trophies is the Ballon d’Or, which Owen won after helping Liverpool to a Treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001. No Englishman has won it since and, although he believes the Premier League now possesses the players to produce a winner again, Owen does not expect an English player to emulate him anytime soon.

“I can’t see it being in the next few years,” he said. “We have some great players, but you’d to think Messi and Ronaldo will be around for a bit yet. There’s obviously Virgil van Dijk and other top-class players in the Premier League but yes, it’s going to be a while before Englishman does it.”

Michael Owen opened his Twitter account in November, 2010 and it is fair to say he has endured a bumpy ride on social media ever since. For a player who generates more negative opinion than positive, it can be a daily grind of abuse and hatred for Owen, especially since going public on his rift with Shearer. He bites back more than most but also believes there is a difference between what happens in daily life and being at a computer screen.

“I think everybody gets [abuse] in my line of work,” he said. “I’ve been used to that since social media started. It was my decision to go on it and interact with fans and, by and large, you do get amazing interaction on it and a lot of support through social media.

“In the street, no-one says anything, so you’ve got to take social media with a pinch of salt. I was having lunch in Manchester city centre with my wife and kids last week, and this is when I’m in all the headlines, and not one person has a go at you. Not one person says anything. I’ve never encountered anyone saying anything [face to face] like they do social media.

“But if you’re not thick-skinned, there’s no point going on it.”

And with a shrug and a smile, Owen sums himself up. His skin is thicker than most.

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