Dean Windass: Michael Owen's a scoring legend but pace doesn't last forever

TODAY'S modern game is all about pace, and yet there was a timely reminder this week that you can't rely on pace to last forever.

Michael Owen revealed this week he will retire at the end of the season. At 33 he's walking away from the sport while many strikers older than him are still playing.

Owen has had his injury problems and that will have played a big part in his thinking, but they all come down to his style of play.

His record at club level and for England speaks for itself and he will go down as an international goal-scoring legend alongside the likes of Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.

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He has had a fantastic career at some of Europe's biggest clubs and he's scored goals everywhere.

His game has always been about pace, though.

It's always been about getting beyond the defender and relying on that pace to take him away from opponents.

When you are that style of player two things happen. As you get older and your pace starts to go, you can't make the same impact.

You also find that players who rely on being explosive start to pick up more injuries due to the impact down the years on their hamstrings etc.

It's much easier for forwards of my ilk, players like Shearer or Teddy Sheringham, to continue later in their careers because we have never relied on pace.

We are link-up forwards, we win the headers, create fouls, make space for others and don't rely on pace to get us in goal-scoring positions. That aids in extending your career as you can't lose something that has never been your major weapon in the first place.

I'm not taking anything away from players with pace, it's a huge asset.

But, it's interesting to note how those players tend to retire much earlier than those link-up type of forwards such as myself.

I'm glad to see Owen will be staying in the game and has been handed an ambassadorial role by the FA. He's always been a model professional, someone who was always on the back page for his performances and never on the front page for his off-field exploits.

He's a great guy for young kids to aspire to be like and for young pros coming through.

He's someone to learn from and be inspired by.

He'll call time on his playing days in a few weeks' time, still a Premier League player with a record anyone would love to have and for that, he'll never be forgotten.