Whenever there is an international tournament in the world of football most people do not realize the pressure that exists on the players.
One such side to Euro 2016 is being talked about by Owen Hargreaves. He reiterates the pressure that he felt in a penalty shootout that is common in many matches.
He states that he has a record of not having missed a penalty kick for his team in a competitive football match. There are many firsts in his career such as having played for England without having been a resident of the country present or before. Having belonged to a club of the non English league, he has helped his team to win the UEFA Champions League.
Penalty kicks and shootouts have been mastered by this player. He has considerable experience and success as an international player as well, having played for teams like Manchester United and Bayern Munich. He has been a midfielder in these matches; he talks about the experience of a shootout or a penalty kick. As per him, such times are crucial as the game stops to play and everyone is concentrating on the kick. There is a lot of mental pressure on the player who is chosen to kick the ball.
Owen can identify with the mental pressure as he has been in such a situation many times. He also talks about remarkable moments for other players. For instance, there was a tie in the quarter finals with Portugal and England. Frank Lampard had to take the first kick for the spot and he missed it. Even Ronaldo faltered in the finals of the Champions League in 2008 when the game had been played in Moscow. Hence, it definitely requires a lot of nerve and mental strength to hold steady and focus on such moments. Owen can certainly identify with the same.