Owne Hargreaves: 'They stayed up all night in Calgary to hear the squad. Mum was actually singing down the phone to me'

Canadian-raised, Bayern-bred, now England is his cause. Nick Townsend talks to the other Owen

Confined to a land where basketball and ice hockey take precedence in the national sporting psyche, Owen Hargreaves would, in his early teenage years, polish his football skills together with one of his brothers, Dan, in the shadow of the Rockies.

He would watch the embryonic English Premier League on television and imagine what might have been if his parents had not emigrated to Canada. But, as he looks back now, "never in my wildest dreams" could Hargreaves have imagined ever pulling on the white shirt of England. You could see his point. The last time Canada yielded anything approaching a decent professional footballer, it was one Paul Peschisolido. And we are not exactly talking world-class where Mr Karren Brady is concerned.

Yet, from such an inauspicious background, Hargreaves has, in the eight years since he first impressed a Calgary-based German coach, defied tradition by progressing from the youth team to the senior side at Bayern Munich, won Champions' League and Bundesliga championship medals, and played four times for his country.

When we talk of his country, we refer, of course, to that of his father's birth; one in which he has, in fact, never resided. Indeed, it was a rare visit to England when he joined up with his international team-mates before departing for the Far East, via Dubai.

He could have played for Germany, having qualified by five years' residence; or for Wales, the country of his mother's birth; or for Canada, where he was born and raised after his parents, Colin, from Bolton, and Margaret, from Rhyl, emigrated there 21 years ago.

Hargreaves did train, briefly, for Wales. But ultimately his choice would always be England. "Most of my family come from Great Britain," he says. "Both my brothers were born there and I have English blood. But also England are one of the best teams in the world, and it's highly motivating to be comparing yourself with the world's best players."

Still, the fact that he is a non-pat prompted one obvious question. Would he have trouble integrating into a squad of players none of whom he was used to playing alongside or against? "This is the fifth time I've been involved with the England side and I'm getting to know the lads better and better. Being away for six weeks will help that." Presumably he had problems even recognising some of them at first? "I know them from the telly anyway," he replies with a wry smile.

He adds: "When I first got into the squad, I never thought the players would be so relaxed with each other. David Beckham, as captain, was especially friendly towards me, and he told me that if I had questions or problems, I should come to him at any time. Overall, the togetherness of the squad surprised me a lot."

He had received the news of his World Cup inclusion from his mother. "My mum phoned me from Calgary," he said. "My parents had stayed up all night to hear the squad announced – because of the time difference – and when I answered she was actually singing to me that I was in the squad."

Hargreaves himself was "overjoyed" at the news, but there can have been little doubt of the midfielder's participation after Eriksson watched him significantly negate the threat of Ryan Giggs in Bayern Munich's Champions' League game at Old Trafford. His attributes were confirmed in England's final home friendlies, against Italy and Paraguay. In the time allotted to him by Sven Goran Eriksson, he looked an amalgam of many qualities.

In the canine world, Hargreaves would be a real cross-breed, suggestive of the retriever, the bloodhound and the terrier. There's also a bit of bulldog about the 21-year-old, this rich man's David Batty.

In many ways, his years at Bayern have clearly moulded a player who typifies many a German midfielder: tenacious, full of running, concentrating on short but accurate passing, and all performed with a swagger and a style rarely seen in English football.

Hargreaves lacks nothing in self-confidence, either. "I wouldn't be here if I thought it would all overawe me," he says. "I believe in myself and I believe in my abilities."

Clearly, he could deputise for Nicky Butt, who is still endeavouring to regain full fitness, but many of us believe that Eriksson should deploy him as first choice in central midfield anyway. Although that is his favoured position, Hargreaves is the ultimate example of a multi-faceted player. Against Paraguay, for instance, he switched midway through the second half to right-back, a position that never looked alien to him.

"I play in central midfield for Bayern Munich most weeks," he says. "That's where I feel most comfortable, but I can play in other positions as well. But if I'm asked to play on the left or the right, or in defence, I'd love to do that job. I've played just about everywhere at Bayern."

Hargreaves joined the German club at the age of 16, having been encouraged to play the game by his father, who played youth football for Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, and is now a sales engineer for a steel firm in Calgary. His arrival at Bayern, though, offered young Hargreaves no guarantees. "Nobody had come through from the youth side to the first team for about six years, so it was only going to be a long shot," he recalled.

Fortunately, he had one major backer at Bayern: the club president, Franz Beckenbauer, who described him as "a huge talent". But it was not until Bayern's 2-1 Champions' League semi-final victory over Real Madrid in 2001, when he deputised for Stefan Effenberg, that the gamut of his abilities was appreciated.

Having played three times for England Under-21s that season, he made his senior debut in the friendly against Holland at White Hart Lane last August. Hargreaves was played out of his best position, on the problem left side, and saw little of the ball.

"I was really looking forward to the match," he says. "It was a fantastic experience. But everything gets seen in a negative light when the team lose. My own performance was hardly the best, but given that it was my first game, it was OK. Mr Eriksson said to me after the game that he was happy with me and I shouldn't worry myself about it. That was all that mattered."

The truth was that he had been engulfed by hyperbole. It required a while for those in England to appreciate that he does not possess the footwork or vision of a Gascoigne or a Joe Cole, neither has he the long-range passing prowess of a Gerrard, and he is certainly no Beckham. Although he replaced Steven Gerrard late on in the World Cup qualifier in Munich, there was a suspicion that Hargreaves would be earmarked for Germany in 2006 rather than this World Cup.

He claims that wouldn't have troubled him. "We play so many games for Bayern Munich that I didn't have time to sit around, worrying about not making the squad," he insists. "If I hadn't made it I wouldn't have been too disappointed, because there are 30 to 40 players in England who are fantastic. Mr Eriksson could have taken a lot of other players. So, to be involved is great."

His contract at Bayern expires in two years. There is talk of an extension, but he does not dismiss moving to England. "We'll see how things go at the World Cup," he says. "I'm happy at Bayern, although eventually I'm sure I'll find my way to England. I'd love the opportunity to play for a Premier League club. I know Arsenal have watched me. Who knows? But my dad is bound to make sure that I talk to Bolton first. He'd love me to play for them."

Hargreaves the wanderer has already come an awfully long way in a very short time. But you suspect he is the young England player who might just scale the summit of achievement this summer.