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Owen Hargreaves experienced in penalty shootouts
Never missed a penalty in a competitive match
Owen Hargreaves is the only man to have played for England without having previously lived in the country.
He is one of only two English players to have won the UEFA Champions League with a non-English club.
When it comes to penalty shootouts, the former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder is the perfect man to discuss what it takes.
“It’s the only time in football that the game stops,” he tells CNN. “It’s like golf, a field goal in the NFL, or a free throw in the NBA.”
“The action freezes, so there are a lot of mental aspects that go into that.”
Mental Strength
In the 2006 World Cup, on a hot night in Gelsenkirchen, England’s quarterfinal tie with Portugal went to penalties. Frank Lampard took the first England spot kick, and missed.
In the 2008 Champions League final, on a somewhat colder night in Moscow, Hargreaves’ United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was the man to falter.
Hargreaves, on both occasions, went next. Hargreaves, on both occasions, channeled all his mental strength to score.
He explains in the video above what it takes to find the back of the net.
