In 2012, Aspetar opened a Centre of Excellence dedicated to understanding groin pain. This issue, a Targeted Topic on Groin Pain brings together 2 years’ work from the Aspetar Sports Groin Pain Centre, as well as articles from a range of international authors. Topics covered include biomechanical risk factors for groin injury during football kicking, conservative management of femeroacetabular impingement and imaging of the athletic hip. We also interview one of English football’s most prolific strikers and Ballon d’Or winner, Michael Owen, on his glittering career, but also how injury left him compromised.