Newcastle in total conceded 14 goals to Michael Owen in 11 games when he was a Red so maybe it was no surprise they wanted to have him on their side! However, this risky move only delivered 26 goals in 81 League matches in four seasons. Owen scored an impressive seven goals in 11 matches in 2005/06 and had recovered in time to be selected for England duty in the 2006 World Cup. However, a serious knee injury in the first minute of the group match against Sweden kept him out of action for almost the whole of the following campaign. Owen's Newcastle contract ended on the last day of June 2009 with him leaving the relegated club to look for a new employer as a free agent. Defending Premier League champions Manchester United dramatically became Owen's third English League club to the dismay of Liverpool supporters. Few can have been surprised that Owen's high-profile and controversial move to Manchester was wrecked by injury. Owen's highlights at United were a very late winner in the Manchester derby, a Champions League hat-trick at Wolfsburg and a Premier League medal in 2011. As a free agent following his release by United in the summer of 2012, Owen did not have to conform to the normal transfer-window regulations
Owen was convinced that his hamstring injury in April 1999 proved a key moment. “My body made me pay for pushing it to the limit too often. My hamstring snapped in two and it was at that point that my ability to perform unimpeded was finished. My rehabilitation was compromised due to our physio leaving the club that summer and not being replaced until the following season. With no regular medical care, a routine injury was destined to restrict me for the rest of my career. People laugh when I say that I am not naturally injury prone. It is my genuine opinion that I have become so due to overplaying at a young age, suffering an injury and then having a dreadful rehabilitation at such a critical time. I cringe when I look back on a quote I came out with after Gérard Houllier rested me for a game. 'I will rest when I'm 40', I muttered in an interview."
Owen's playing-career drew quietly to a close in May 2013. Stoke City used him only rarely in his final season, so rarely that he did not make a single start for them. All his eight appearances came from the substitutes' bench. The last of his one hundred and fifty Premier League goals came at Swansea in January. It was his only goal of the season. He has since carved out a media career with BT Sport and as a breeder of racehorses.
Liverpool as a club and Liverpool supporters as a group saw the best years of Michael Owen's life as a professional footballer. Yes, he was sometimes beset by injuries in his Anfield days but nowhere near as much as he has suffered since he left Anfield for Madrid in 2004. Despite his great personal achievements at Liverpool Owen was never quite beloved on the Kop as might be expected. From the player's point of view, he might always regret stating that he left Liverpool 'to win the big trophies', only to watch from a distance as his new club won nothing and his old club won the biggest trophy of all just a year later.Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | 216 | 15 | 14 | 50 | 2 | 297 |
1996-1997 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1997-1998 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 44 |
1998-1999 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 40 |
1999-2000 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
2000-2001 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 46 |
2001-2002 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 43 |
2002-2003 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 54 |
2003-2004 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 38 |
2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Apps | Minutes | Opponent |
---|---|---|
16 | 1188 | Arsenal |
14 | 1033 | Aston Villa |
14 | 925 | Manchester United |
13 | 1011 | Tottenham |
12 | 1030 | Everton |
12 | 885 | Southampton |
12 | 876 | Middlesbrough |
11 | 996 | Newcastle United |
10 | 838 | Chelsea |
10 | 752 | Derby |
9 | 761 | Charlton Athletic |
9 | 752 | Blackburn Rovers |
9 | 664 | West Ham United |
9 | 644 | Leeds United |
8 | 626 | Coventry City |
7 | 567 | Fulham |
7 | 533 | Leicester City |
7 | 498 | Sunderland |
6 | 525 | Bolton Wanderers |
6 | 450 | Wimbledon |
5 | 439 | Sheffield Wednesday |
5 | 424 | Crystal Palace |
5 | 372 | Manchester City |
4 | 360 | Celtic |
4 | 284 | Birmingham City |
4 | 241 | Valencia |
3 | 270 | Portsmouth |
3 | 254 | Bradford City |
3 | 240 | Ipswich Town |
3 | 236 | Roma |
3 | 225 | Barcelona |
2 | 180 | Barnsley |
2 | 180 | Kosice |
2 | 180 | Galatasaray |
2 | 180 | Spartak Moscow |
2 | 180 | Auxerre |
2 | 180 | Celta Vigo |
2 | 180 | Vitesse Arnhem |
2 | 180 | Levski Sofia |
2 | 180 | WBA |
2 | 180 | Nottingham Forest |
2 | 180 | Wolves |
2 | 170 | Rapid Bucharest |
2 | 170 | Porto |
2 | 169 | Basel |
2 | 165 | Borussia Dortmund |
2 | 160 | Leverkusen |
2 | 152 | Marseille |
2 | 140 | Sheffield United |
2 | 107 | Strasbourg |
1 | 90 | Haka |
1 | 90 | Olimpija |
1 | 90 | Boavista |
1 | 90 | Grimsby Town |
1 | 90 | Huddersfield Town |
1 | 90 | Port Vale |
1 | 88 | Steaua Bucharest |
1 | 87 | Tranmere Rovers |
1 | 83 | Bayern Munich |
1 | 82 | Wycombe |
1 | 79 | Alaves |
1 | 76 | Hull City |
1 | 71 | Watford |
1 | 65 | Olympiacos |
1 | 64 | Rotherham United |
1 | 8 | Slovan Liberec |
Total | Started/substitutions |
---|---|
267 | Started |
13 | On the bench |
30 | Substitute |
84 | Substituted |
Total | Venue |
---|---|
146 | Away |
144 | Home |
7 | Neutral |
Total | Competition |
---|---|
216 | Premier League |
33 | UEFA Cup |
16 | Champions League |
15 | FA Cup |
14 | League Cup |
1 | Charity Shield |
1 | Community Shield |
1 | European Super Cup |
Total | W | D | L | Win % | Manager |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
233 | 117 | 61 | 55 | 50.2% | Gérard Houllier |
46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 45.7% | Roy Evans |
18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 38.9% | Evans / Houllier |
Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | 118 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 158 |
1996-1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1997-1998 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 23 |
1998-1999 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
1999-2000 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
2000-2001 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
2001-2002 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 28 |
2002-2003 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
2003-2004 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | Opponent |
---|---|
14 | Newcastle United |
8 | Southampton |
7 | Blackburn Rovers |
7 | West Ham United |
6 | Manchester United |
5 | Aston Villa |
5 | Derby |
5 | Nottingham Forest |
5 | Coventry City |
5 | Chelsea |
5 | Manchester City |
5 | Tottenham |
5 | Arsenal |
4 | Birmingham City |
4 | Charlton Athletic |
4 | Everton |
4 | Leeds United |
4 | WBA |
4 | Sheffield Wednesday |
3 | Spartak Moscow |
3 | Haka |
3 | Ipswich Town |
3 | Portsmouth |
3 | Sunderland |
3 | Middlesbrough |
3 | Leicester City |
3 | Wimbledon |
3 | Grimsby Town |
2 | Roma |
2 | Fulham |
2 | Bolton Wanderers |
2 | Vitesse Arnhem |
1 | Olimpija |
1 | Levski Sofia |
1 | Basel |
1 | Auxerre |
1 | Celta Vigo |
1 | Porto |
1 | Sheffield United |
1 | Kosice |
1 | Slovan Liberec |
1 | Boavista |
1 | Port Vale |
1 | Celtic |
1 | Crystal Palace |
1 | Bayern Munich |
1 | Barcelona |
1 | Tranmere Rovers |
1 | Bradford City |
Total | Started/substitutions |
---|---|
152 | Started |
6 | Substitute |
Total | Competition |
---|---|
118 | Premier League |
12 | UEFA Cup |
9 | Champions League |
9 | League Cup |
8 | FA Cup |
1 | Charity Shield |
1 | European Super Cup |
Total | Goal minute period |
---|---|
23 | 1-15 minutes |
28 | 16-30 minutes |
27 | 31-45 minutes |
24 | 46-60 minutes |
27 | 61-75 minutes |
26 | 76-90 minutes |
3 | 91-120 minutes |
Total | Goal origin |
---|---|
145 | Open play |
13 | Penalty |
Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Totals | 30 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 41 |
1996-1997 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1997-1998 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
1998-1999 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
1999-2000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2000-2001 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
2001-2002 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
2002-2003 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
2003-2004 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2004-2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | Opponent |
---|---|
4 | Middlesbrough |
4 | Arsenal |
3 | Charlton Athletic |
3 | Leeds United |
3 | Southampton |
2 | Watford |
2 | Wimbledon |
1 | Valencia |
1 | Bayer Leverkusen |
1 | Spartak Moscow |
1 | Rapid Bucharest |
1 | Alaves |
1 | Crystal Palace |
1 | Bayern Munich |
1 | Tranmere Rovers |
1 | Coventry City |
1 | Newcastle United |
1 | Blackburn Rovers |
1 | West Ham United |
1 | Bolton Wanderers |
1 | West Bromwich Albion |
1 | Rotherham United |
1 | Tottenham Hotspur |
1 | Port Vale |
1 | Derby County |
1 | Portsmouth |
1 | Aston Villa |
Total | Competition |
---|---|
30 | Premier League |
3 | UEFA Cup |
3 | FA Cup |
2 | League Cup |
2 | Champions League |
1 | European Super Cup |
Total | For player |
---|---|
7 | Robbie Fowler |
4 | Steven Gerrard |
4 | Steve McManaman |
4 | Emile Heskey |
3 | John Arne Riise |
3 | Paul Ince |
2 | Danny Murphy |
2 | Jamie Redknapp |
2 | Karl-Heinz Riedle |
1 | Vladimir Smicer |
1 | Harry Kewell |
1 | Sami Hyypia |
1 | Øyvind Leonhardsen |
1 | Jari Litmanen |
1 | Jason McAteer |
1 | Didi Hamann |
1 | Nick Barmby |
1 | Patrik Berger |
1 | El Hadji Diouf |
# | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 06.05.1997 | Wimbledon | Selhurst Park | League |
50 | 09.09.1998 | Coventry City | Anfield | League |
100 | 12.12.1999 | Huddersfield Town | Kirklees Stadium | FA Cup |
150 | 31.03.2001 | Manchester United | Anfield | League |
200 | 09.04.2002 | Leverkusen | Bay Arena | Europe |
250 | 13.03.2003 | Celtic | Celtic Park | Europe |
# | Minute | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 74 | 06.05.1997 | Wimbledon | Selhurst Park | League |
50 | 53 | 13.10.1999 | Southampton | The Dell | League Cup |
100 | 88 | 29.12.2001 | West Ham United | Upton Park | League |
150 | 2 | 15.02.2004 | Portsmouth | Anfield | FA Cup |
From 25 April 2013 in The Daily Express.
An article from The Guardian on 18th of December 2001.
Reaction in the Mirror on Liverpool 1 - 0 Newcastle United on 20 January 1998.
Press Association report on Manchester United - Liverpool on 10.04.1998. Michael Owen sees red!
Report by Ric George of The Liverpool Echo on Liverpool - Grimsby Town on 18.11.1997.
Liverpool Echo report on Sheffield Wednesday - Liverpool on 14.02.1998.
The Telegraph report on Liverpool - Portsmouth on 17.03.2004.
The Telegraph report on Fulham - Liverpool on 02.11.2003.
The Telegraph report on WBA - Liverpool on 26.04.2003.
Liverpoolfc.tv report on Liverpool - Arsenal on 12.05.2001.
The Observer report on Liverpool - Newcastle on 05.05.2001.
Liverpool Echo report on Liverpool - Aston Villa on 06.09.2000.
Liverpool Echo match report on Liverpool - Arsenal on 28.08.1999.
The Telegraph report on Man City - Liverpool on 28.09.2002.
Match report from Press Association on Liverpool - Nottingham Forest on 24.10.1998.
Match report from Press Association on Newcastle United - Liverpool on 30.08.1998.
Match report from Press Association on Southampton - Liverpool on 16.08.1998.
Press Association match report on Celtic - Liverpool on 16.09.1997.
Match report from Press Association on Wimbledon - Liverpool on 09.09.1997.
Match report from Wimbledon - Liverpool on 06.05.1997 by Press Association.
On Boxing Day the striker will run out at Anfield wearing a Newcastle shirt. But, says Rafael Benítez, it won't be long before he returns for good. December 24, 2005 The Guardian.
Michael Owen comes clean in his column in The Times why a few hours earlier he chose Newcastle over a return to Liverpool.
The Telegraph 3rd September 2005.
It has been revealed that Michael Owen had two brain scans and feared that he could have had a blood clot. From Soccernet - 05.11.2000.
13 out of 23 penalties scored. Not a good record by any means.
For the first time in 16 long years since the shame and tragedy that was Heysel, Liverpool took their place in European football's top club competition. Chris Wood documents Liverpool's European history.
Michael Owen scored his 21st goal in European competitions versus Olimpia Ljubljana in Slovenia.
by David Walmsley of "The Liverpool Echo" from January 1997.
An article from the People on 31 August 1997.
"I remember the first time I ever saw Michael play which was when I was at Tranmere, and our reserve team played Liverpool at Anfield. I played in the game for Tranmere and Michael came on as sub and scored an absolutely wonder goal from about 30-yards!
I'd heard about him before and he lived up to the expectations that night, and he's certainly exceeded those expectations up to now. I think he is a marvellous player to watch. His pace is electrifying and for any defenders you can't defend against pace.
There's no reason why he will leave Liverpool and there's no reason why he should. Money isn't the be all and end all nowadays and Michael loves the club. If Michael was to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career he would become the all-time best ever striker I think."
John Aldridge
Roy Evans said to me, 'Karl, I have a new young talent that I want you to see.' And then, of course, I saw Michael playing in training, and I said to myself, 'This boy is not just a young talent, he is going to be a bloody great player!'
Karl Heinz Riedle on Michael Owen
"It's important having a core of local lads in the side, especially for the fans. And if you play for Liverpool, you're a Liverpool fan."
Owen in 2002
"Sometimes I’m wrongly portrayed as a glamorous celebrity — but I don’t recognise myself as that person. I am able to afford a few more luxuries in life but it would be a strange person who didn’t like driving a smart car, living in a nice house and taking his family away on holidays."
Michael Owen in 2001
"We want Michael Owen. Owen can be one of the world's great players and the best players must play for Real Madrid."
Real Madrid president Florentine Perez admits Real's interest in March 2002.
"It was strange going back on Boxing Day. I certainly didn't love every minute of it. People have talked about the 'hostile' reception. But I'd say the fans just took the mickey out of me. It wasn't nasty and they didn't insult me. It was more jokey. My family are from Liverpool, so I know what scouse humour is like. I'm not sure what I expected. I suppose I expected a bit of a clap before the match, then a proper, hard game of football with some jokes and songs along the way. I got all of that except the clap at the start! Yet I still respect Liverpool and Liverpool still respect me. Even now, I get nice letters every day from Liverpool fans and I'm pleased to see them doing well."
Michael Owen on his reception in his first game as a Newcastle player at Anfield
"Since I was 10 I didn't just want to be a footballer, I wanted to be the best footballer in the world. There are still lots of people ahead of me but if you want to get into that bracket, you have to break out of comfort zones. That is a nutshell is why I made the life changing decision to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid.
"I have always had a burning desire to push myself and that is why I was disappointed with some of the defeatist reaction to my transfer. I don't know if it is an English trait to settle for what you've got but I was taken aback when the first thing some people said was 'how's he going to get into the first team'. They didn't say 'fantastic, he's moving to the biggest club in the world.'"
Michael Owen on his move from Liverpool to Real Madrid
"I left Newcastle and the first thing I did was phone Carra to ask him to speak to the manager, However, at that time Liverpool wasn't an option, they didn't want me. I tried my best to get back, but had to have a look out as to who wanted me and who was the best team to sign for. The three teams that were seriously in for me were Hull City, Everton and Manchester United. I could have gone to Hull I suppose, but in my mind I had to play at the best level possible. Liverpool didn't want me, so I signed for Manchester United."
Michael Owen in 2014
Club | Season | Club rank | League apps | League goals | Total apps | Total goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Real Madrid | 2004-2005 | Spain 1 | 36 | 13 | 41 | 14 |
Newcastle United | 2005-2006 | England Premier League | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 |
Newcastle United | 2006-2007 | England Premier League | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Newcastle United | 2007-2008 | England Premier League | 29 | 11 | 33 | 13 |
Newcastle United | 2008-2009 | England Premier League | 28 | 8 | 32 | 10 |
Manchester United | 2009-2010 | England Premier League | 19 | 3 | 30 | 8 |
Manchester United | 2010-2011 | England Premier League | 11 | 2 | 16 | 5 |
Manchester United | 2011-2012 | England Premier League | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Stoke City | 2012-2013 | England Premier League | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
Total | 146 | 45 | 179 | 61 |