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.
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There will be some though that understand Owen’s plight, and recognise he’s a person as capable of making mistakes as any of us. A move back to Merseyside didn’t materialize that summer and he signed with Newcastle after just one year in Madrid.
“At every stage-every summer-I was on the phone to Carra telling him to find a way to get me back”, Owen revealed in Simon Huges” book on Liverpool in the 21st century, Ring of Fire.
“When it became clear Benitez didn’t want to do a deal, I spoke again with (former United manager) Alex Ferguson”. “Does Kenny want me?” Does Brendan want me?’ It was circumstance that stopped it happening.
Owen didn’t stop trying but it was all for naught.
Many Liverpool fans will consider this too little, too late. By the end, I wasn’t the player I had been before and they simply didn’t fancy me. “People tell me he’s got talent but I can’t remember him having a good game”.
It is interesting to hear Owen so openly admit how hard he tried to manufacture a return to Anfield.
Michael Owen burned a lot of bridges when he signed for Manchester United in 2009. I tried to “force” Benitez to do something. ‘I wanted to try to put it right somehow.
‘He was very positive about me.
However, the 26-year-old fired back a response to the the former Liverpool defender, who has always been a critic of the striker, saying, “Carragher, bad player, wonderful hater”.
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After naming El Hadji Diouf and Alberto Aquilani among his least favourite Reds’ signings, Carragher then said “I can’t believe we signed Mario Balotelli!”
