Michael Owen remains an unpopular figure at Newcastle United.
In 2005, Newcastle United broke their transfer record to sign Owen from Real Madrid for around £17million.
The idea of Owen pairing Alan Shearer up front was hugely exciting at St James’ Park, although it never really worked out.
While Owen scored 30 goals in 79 games for the Magpies, he missed 94 games through injury and ended up leaving on a free transfer following the club’s relegation from the Premier League in 2009.
Owen regretted his move to Newcastle, with the former England striker wanting to re-join Liverpool when he left the Spanish capital.
That is hardly much of a surprise, but he’s recently revealed more.
Michael Owen had a clause to join Liverpool in his Newcastle United contract
The 45-year-old was speaking on a recent episode of The Bombay Journey, during which he travels around Mumbai after the Premier League opened an office there.
Naturally, he was asked about his career. Owen broke through in 1997 and won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 but has openly admitted he was never quite the same after suffering a hamstring injury in 1999.
While always a prolific goalscorer, losing even a yard of his searing pace impacted his game.
Speaking about his time at Newcastle, he revealed that the only reason he joined the club was because of a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to move back to Liverpool after one year.
“When I signed for Newcastle I decided to go to Newcastle,” he said.
“The only reason I signed is so I could insert into the contract that after one year I can go to Liverpool, one team in the world. That’s all I wanted to do. So I had that. But nobody needs to know that.
“Nobody does know it. Nobody cares to know it. But they do care ‘Oh, you played for Liverpool, now you play for Manchester United, you know, you must have no loyalty.’
“Like, come on. If you know the story. When I left Newcastle, every single year I was on the phone to the Liverpool manager. It’s Liverpool that didn’t want me back.”
How Michael Owen really feels about Newcastle United fans
His spell at the club is not looked back on fondly, to say the very least.
In fact, he’s perhaps the only other striker in recent memory who has just as much, if not more, ill-feeling towards him than Alexander Isak.
Still, Owen has claimed he loved playing in front of the Newcastle fans.
Last year, he told Simon Jordan’s Up Front Podcast: “I love Newcastle. I love the people. I lived there for four years. We had some unbelievable times up there, really unbelievable.
“Playing alongside Alan Shearer was a big draw. Playing for Graeme Souness was a big draw, I looked up to him, when I was coming through at Liverpool he was the manager. And the fan base, the passion, I thought get them back into the Premier League that’s where I belong.”
Owen joined Manchester United after leaving Newcastle before signing for Stoke City and retiring in 2013.
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