Michael Owen Quotes

I went from being very athletic, one of the best guards in the NBA, to barely making it. No speed, no agility. I had to change how I played because I couldn't exercise or train because my knee constantly hurt.

I lived on being a quick player and my hamstring was breaking every time I made a quick move. I wondered what the hell was going on.

The physio side probably stemmed from the knocks I got as a player.

I got injured at the Olympic Trials in 2000. I could not jump. I could not walk on my leg properly. I couldn't bend my knee. I couldn't straighten it.

I don't believe I throw quite the same as before I was injured.

It was tough to quit football. But after I was injured, I didn't want people paying money to see only half a John Matuszak.

The operations were big ones, so I knew it'd take a lot of hard work. It's hard, you know? You're in the gym for hours on end doing strengthening exercises, and that's just so you are able to start running again. You can't even think about getting on the pitch to start with.

I've had three injuries, and one took from 2016 to 2017 for me to recover. Three months I was out because I wasn't perfect, and I lost a lot of games for this injury.

Ask any athlete: We all hurt at times. I'm asking my body to go through seven different tasks. To ask it not to ache would be too much.

The return is one of the hardest shots to make when you come back from injury.

I didn't think I was going to play that day. I'd have to thank the training staff for getting me on the field that day. They made a bigger deal than I thought it was.

Even when I was young, playing college football, and I injured my knee, I bounced right back.

My knee was torn up. I tore every ligament in my knee. It was a very, very bad injury. I had to do what the doctors told me to do, and I did that. The next year, I came back and led the league in rushing.

I've played in Test matches before after injury without first playing a county game or warm-up of some sort.

Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.

Anyone who was been injured for a long period can emphasise how happy you are when you are able to be back on the pitch.

Before I got injured, football was very easy, I didn't have to work out.

One thing the fans got to understand is that I missed two years, and we took it really, really slow, and we made sure everything was good, and my foot has been great.

When you're an athlete, the one thing you're concerned about is injury, because that's the No. 1 thing that can take you out.

It's always bad news when a player gets injured - dreadful news.

A lot of my career I'm out of the gym, I'm injured and I'm blown up.

I've had 30 hamstring tears.

Your cruciate ligament, like many long-term injuries... when they come back they're expected to be what they were before the injury. While fit it sometimes takes a little bit longer for some than others.

It's a very violent game, and bodies take a beating, so you want to make sure you do everything you can to get your body back. It's just something you have to do.

After having my first surgery in 2003, having an ACL replacement, I never thought I'd be able to compete again.