Michael Owen who was the last Liverpool player to win the coveted Ballon d'Or has explained his decision to join Liverpool's arch rivals, Manchester United. Owen, who is now working as an ambassador with Liverpool was once a fan favourite when he broke into the first team in 1996. The Chester-born striker scored more than 150 goals during his eight-year-long spell at Anfield.
Owen then moved to Real Madrid in 2004 for £8 million but started regretting his decision to join Los Blancos within one year at Bernabeu. "At every stage, every summer, I was on the phone to Carra (Jamie Carragher) telling him to find a way to get me back." Owen has revealed this in a tell-all interview in Simon Hughes' latest book Ring of Fire.
Trending
He continued about his conversation with Jamie Carragher, "'Does Rafa want me?' I'd say. Does Kenny want me? Does Brendan want me? It was the circumstances that stopped it happening. He said, "Whenever I was available, Liverpool had too many strikers. And when Liverpool wanted me, I was injured. By the end, I wasn't the player I had been before and they simply didn't fancy me. I wasn't good enough."
Also read: 5 big names who will be free agents at the end of the season
Owen left Real Madrid for Newcastle in 2005 where he spent four years. He then later tried again to force a move back to Anfield in 2009 but failed to do so. "I spoke to Carra and tried to get Benitez to do something. I wanted to try to put it right somehow. When it became clear Benitez didn't want to do a deal, I spoke again with Alex Ferguson. He was very positive about me. I was twenty-nine years old. Should I have decided to retire there and then?" he said.
Michael Owen spent three years with Manchester United where he won a Premier League title as he scored just 17 goals in three seasons with the Red Devils. He ended his career with a spell at Stoke City as he scored just a goal for the Potters before retiring back in 2013. Along with being an ambassador with Liverpool, the 36 year old works with BT Sport as a pundit in the Premier League and Champions League.
