The 2006 World Cup is not one many England fans will look back on with much fondness, but for followers of Newcastle it may be even more painful.
The tournament in Germany was the last time before Callum Wilson this year that the Magpies sent a player to the World Cup with England. Back then it was Michael Owen who earned a call-up, despite missing six months of action with a metatarsal injury.
Owen had only played 30 minutes of Premier League football after sustaining the injury in December 2005. But England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson still started him for all three of his side's group games at the following summer's World Cup.
He was substituted off during both the wins over Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago. But his third game of the tournament, against Sweden in the final group match, led to disaster for the former Liverpool attacker.
Just 51 seconds in, Owen cut inside from the touchline and went to pass the ball back to Ashley Cole. But as he did so, his body went in one direction and his leg went in another, with his right knee snapping as a result.
It was a devastating injury, which would later be confirmed as a torn ACL, which led to him spending nearly a year on the sidelines. There was immediate concern from Newcastle staff, with one even phoning the FA's director of communications Adrian Bevington immediately.
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"While Michael was being treated, I received a call from someone at Newcastle United who, obviously, was extremely concerned with the situation and the impact that was going to have on the club's forthcoming season with a player who they invested so much money in," Bevington told ChronicleLive.
"Michael had already had injury problems so it's fair to say they weren't best pleased from a club perspective and the fact that the player had been playing for England. In the heat of the moment, I bore the brunt of the frustration while I was literally sitting in my seat while the game was going on."
After the extent of Owen's injury had been confirmed, Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepard is said to have 'seriously considered' taking the FA to court. Though insurance policies were in place to pay Owen's wages during his lay-off, Newcastle still needed to buy a replacement.
There was also potential depreciation of Owen's value and the fact Newcastle may lose points as a result of his absence. As a result, the FA agreed a landmark settlement that saw them make a compensation payment to the Magpies.
ChronicleLive report that there was 'internal controversy' at the association due to the 'potentially dangerous approach' of agreeing to the settlement. Some were worried that the value of other big name stars could open the door to further claims if they were injured on England duty.
The total amount that the FA and FIFA would pay Newcastle was later reported as being around £12m. Part of that was to pay half of Owen's wages during his lay-off, while £10m was as compensation for signing Obafemi Martins, who was the England star's replacement.
Owen would never truly recapture his form following his devastating injury, but he did go on to play for England until 2008, scoring four goals before retiring from international duty.
