SOME seven years later, and the image remains as fresh and vibrant as ever. The blackness of a Saint Etienne night combining with the dark blue shirts of the Argentinian players to create a brooding vision of World Cup woe. The legacy of Maradona's magic compounding a catalogue of English failures to create a sense of inevitable disappointment and defeat.

And there, in the middle of it all, a wispish, white-shirted wonder etching his name into footballing folklore.

No matter what Michael Owen goes on to achieve in his career, and given that he remains a barely-believable 25 years of age that could still be anything at all, he will forever be remembered for the moment of magic that announced his arrival onto the global stage.

With Argentina and England locked at one goal apiece in their World Cup second-round game, a fresh-faced Owen broke onto David Beckham's pass. Within the blink of an eye, his career, indeed his life, was changed forever.

Accelerating past two Argentinian midfielders, the 18-year-old novice dribbled around defender Roberto Ayala before drilling an inch-perfect arcing shot past a helpless Carlos Roa.

As a nation held its collective breath, a legend was born. England went on to lose the game, Owen went on to bigger and better things with both club and country, but the exhilarating vibrancy of his coming of age was never dulled. Time may weary him, but Newcastle's record signing will always remain the "Boy Wonder" of 1998.

Few could have anticipated him making such an instant impact in an England shirt but, in hindsight, Owen's dazzling arrival on the international stage had already been foreshadowed time and time again during his fledgling career.

Many professional players can point to their successful youth days as evidence of a natural and long-standing ability - none can recount such a rapid and record-breaking rise as Owen.

Born in Chester on December 14, 1979, he was raised as the fourth of five tightly-knit children by his parents, Jeanette and Terry.

Living in Hawarden, in the Welsh county of Clwyd, it did not take long for a youthful Michael to develop his father's love of the game.

Playing for Everton and Chester, Terry Owen had scored 70 goals in 300 games when he hung up his boots shortly after Michael's birth. A more than respectable record, but one that was to be eclipsed by his greatest footballing feat - the discovery and development of his son.

Sensing a special talent in his midst, Terry introduced his son to Mold Alexandra's Under-10 side. As Michael was only eight at the time, he needed written permission from his mother in order to play with boys more than two years his senior and almost twice his size.

That permission was granted, and Michael duly finished his first season with 34 goals in 24 games. On one memorable occasion, his coach was forced to put him in goal after he scored nine times in the first 20 minutes and left a number of his shell-shocked opponents in tears.

Blessed with lighting-quick pace, Owen was able to overcome the problems presented by his slight frame. His lack of height merely forced him to improve his touch and reflexes and, by the end of 1990, the childhood Everton fan had signed youth forms with Liverpool.

International scouts were also monitoring his progress and, at the age of 14, Owen joined the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall as part of an intake that also included future England internationals Wes Brown and Francis Jeffers.

His performances were stellar - a goal on his debut for England's Under-15s, all four goals in a 4-0 win over Northern Ireland for the Under-18s - with his composure in front of goal underlining a maturity that belied his tender years.

That maturity saw him fast-tracked through the Liverpool ranks by Roy Evans, with his senior debut coming at Wimbledon in May 1997. If anyone harboured any doubts over his ability to handle life at a higher level, they were dispelled within ten minutes of his introduction at Selhurst Park.

Robbie Fowler was favourite to take the penalty he had won by drawing a foul in the box but, before he had even dusted himself down, a 17-year-old Owen had put the ball on the spot and notched his first goal in the Premiership. Despite his utter lack of experience, nobody expected it to be his last.

His first full season saw him top the England goalscoring charts with 18 goals in 36 games, and win a first full international cap under Glenn Hoddle.

Owen had arrived but, while a nation clamoured for his inclusion in the starting line-up for 1998's World Cup, Hoddle harboured serious reservations.

According to the England boss, the Liverpool striker was "not a natural goalscorer" and, when his side kicked off the tournament against Tunisia, it was Teddy Sheringham and not Owen who got the nod to partner Alan Shearer.

England's fans were furious and, when they spent the opening half-hour of the following game chanting the youngster's name, Hoddle's hand was forced.

Owen came off the bench to score against Romania and, some eight days later, was dancing around the Argentinian defence to evoke memories of Maradona in 1986.

An avalanche of accolades followed - the striker was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year a day before his 19th birthday - before a first-half hat-trick at St James' Park helped Owen top the English goalscoring charts for the second season in a row.

In total, his eight years at Anfield brought 158 goals but, by the start of 2004, his Liverpool love affair was starting to wear thin.

With a long-standing hamstring problem hampering him on the field, his actions away from the game began to hog the headlines. Owen's homely existence had previously been seen as the antithesis to David Beckham's lavish lifestyle yet, suddenly, the pair were being pilloried as different sides of the same coin.

It emerged that Owen had run up gambling debts of more than £40,000, while a former acquaintance claimed the two had taken part in sleazy sex games in a hotel room in October 2003.

The accusations proved to be totally groundless but, when one of his personal assistants was exposed as a high-profile Liverpool gangster, Owen's carefully-cultivated clean-cut image was left somewhat tarnished.

Perhaps more pertinently, his stock at Anfield was also continuing to fall.

With negotiations over a new contract stalling, Rafael Benitez chose to think the unthinkable and sanctioned the sale of the fans' favourite to Real Madrid.

But, while Beckham had arrived at the Bernabeu as a 'Galactico', Owen was always more of a gap-filler and, despite a return of 14 goals from just 22 starts, his stay in Spain was always likely to be a short one.

Most neutrals expected him to make an emotional return to Anfield but, just as he shocked the footballing world at St Etienne, so he sparked widespread surprise yesterday by signing at St James'.

His £16m move has transformed the mood on Tyneside overnight and instantly re-energised a club that was looking down and out after a dreadful start to the Premiership campaign.

What happens next remains to be seen. Will England's 'Golden Boy' lead Newcastle back into Europe, or will he become the latest in a long line of big-money flops?

One thing alone is certain. When it comes to Michael Owen, it is best to expect the unexpected.

Four shell-shocked Argentinian defenders stand as testament to that