Michael Owen admits the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2008 will hit home when the tournament kicks off.
Agony of missing finals to hit home at kick-off
Michael Owen has admitted the pain of missing out on Euro 2008 will hit home when the tournament kicks off next month.
England failed to qualify for Austria and Switzerland after finishing third behind Croatia and Russia in Group E.
Owen is disappointed that England under-achieved in the qualifying campaign as they failed to reach a major tournament for the first time in 14 years.
The Newcastle striker concedes he will not be watching the finals closely as it will remind him of England's failure.
"I don't know if I will watch the finals or not," Owen told
skysports.com. "I will probably catch the odd game, but I will probably also use the time to go on holiday with the family as it will be the first summer in a long time which I have had off.
"I think the disappointment will set in a lot more when we start watching the games.
"It was obviously a tough campaign and we should have done a lot better.
Frustrating
"It was frustrating not to be part of a lot of it, down to injury, but I still feel part of it and felt the pain of all the players."
Owen, who helped announce himself on the world stage during the 1998 World Cup, believes Premier League duo Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo could be the two stars of next month's finals.
Torres has enjoyed a fantastic debut season for Liverpool, scoring 33 goals and he will lead Spain's assault on trying to end their under-achievers' tag.
Manchester United star Ronaldo has swept all before him in a record-breaking campaign and Portugal will be hoping he can carry that form into the finals as they want to go one better than Euro 2004 when they lost in the final.
Owen has been impressed by the duo and believes they could be the players to light up Euro 2008.
"You tend to get one star coming out such as a youngster you don't expect, but you have also got your players who are doing so well in the Premier League; the likes of Torres who could do really well for Spain," added Owen.
"Obviously Ronaldo of Portugal is another player on top of his game. You would say those two are the biggest stars going into the tournament and could be even bigger stars coming out of it."
