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To: George Papadopoulos who wrote (871)	7/3/1998 12:03:00 AM
From: Jeff Mills	Respond to of 5130

Owen 50M pounds (but not for sale)! mirror.co.uk NAME YOUR OWEN PRICE HARRY HARRIS Michael Owen's value has soared to a new world record œ50million as Owenmania swept the football world. The 18-year-old England striker who took France 98 by storm would cost over œ25m and he would also be able to demand personal terms amounting to a staggering œ23m for a 10-year contract. As if that wasn't enough to satisfy him, his earnings from inside the game would be small change compared to his potential income off the field. It is possible he could become the Michael Jordan of football, according to Peter Draper, head of Umbro UK, who had the foresight to sign Owen on a six-year deal three weeks ago. Jordan is the superstar American basketball star who earned a staggering œ54m last year. Draper predicted: "Owen could become the first soccer billionaire. Anything is possible. He is also suitable for any marketing contact with a leading multi-national company because he has the right image." While David Beckham, Britain's highest-paid footballer at œ8m a year, flew off to New York for a reunion with Posh Spice, Owen played a round of golf with his dad. It is that boy next door image that promises to be his passport to the biggest fortune in footballing history. One of the world's top soccer agents, Pine Zaravi, yesterday revealed he was asked to put a price on Owen's head for AC Milan a year ago. Now he believes that the financial package to capture Owen would be close to œ50m. Zaravi said: "When I spoke with Liverpool chief executive Peter Robinson a year ago about Owen I was told he was not for sale. There was unofficial interest from Milan and they would not have hesitated in paying œ27m in fee and salary. "His price has gone up after what he has done in this World Cup. But if ever such deals were worked out it would be my advice to make sure he was paid most of it when he was older. Too much money too early can have a disastrous effect on young players." Liverpool have no intention of cashing in on a striker - and Owen would also be reluctant to move away from his close- knit family. Ronaldo left Brazil at Owen's age to play for Bobby Robson at PSV Eindhoven and later at Barcelona before moving on to Inter Milan. And an even younger Brazil-ian, who isn't even first choice here in France, Denilson is currently the world's costliest footballer at œ21m. Former England boss Robson said: "Owen reminds me a bit of Ronaldo because he is already generating the same excitement and expectancy among supporters at a tender age. "Ronaldo is a bigger lad who might win more in the air and, at the same stage, he probably had more in the way of dribbling ability, feints and twists. But the way Owen runs at defenders and terrifies them with raw pace, puts him right up there among the most exciting teenagers we've seen for a long time. "He's easily the best English discovery since Gascoigne." The greatest player of all time Pele lavished praise on Owen when he said the player had a touch of Brazilian magic. "The way he moves, the way he dribbles, the way he controls the ball, remind me a lot of young Brazilian players," said Pele. "He has that Latin style which is certainly not typical of English players, and that is what has surprised me most about him. "For me Michael Owen is one of the nice surprises of this tournament. He showed the form that everyone has been speaking about, and he showed it in a grand fashion before the world audience. "He has a very bright future and I am personally looking forward to seeing him mature into one of the sport's top stars. England should be proud to have a player of this calibre, with such tremendous talent." Of the best attacking players in the World Cup, Pele names Owen alongside Zidane and Ronaldo. "The referees have helped, too. The new rules by FIFA not allowing the tackle from behind and getting rid of the grabbing has allowed the creative players such as Zidane, Ronaldo and Owen to attack."