Michael Owen has had a grand old career. He’s been a star performer at a World Cup, he’s won an FA Cup, three League Cups, a UEFA cup and has been voted the European Footballer of the Year. According to the man himself, however, none of these trinkets and accolades match his most recent achievement: getting his mitts on a shiny Premier League winner’s medal.
Michael Owen achieved most of the above accomplishments with Liverpool who he was with from 1996-2004 and with whom he made his name and built his career. The Premier League winner’s medal, on the other hand, has come during his stay at Manchester United.
Despite only making 11 Premier League appearances this term (and only one start) Owen claims that winning the League has fulfilled a lifelong ambition and is the zenith of an already glittering career. When questioned about what this latest achievement means in light of his Liverpool past, he even went as far as to jokingly respond: “As they say, if you can’t beat them, join them”. He then went onto make his priorities clear: “I won a lot of trophies with Liverpool, but to win the Premier League is the pinnacle of anyone’s career. I’m very proud.”
I can’t help but wonder if Owen’s casual responses demonstrate a lack of respect towards Liverpool fans, who in some ways still view him as one of their own.
Whilst I understand that players ‘move on’ and that some do inevitably end up at rival clubs, there’s still a certain expectation amongst fans that they demonstrate a degree of tact. Michael Owen made 216 appearances for Liverpool and established himself as a legend at the club. At 31-years-old his career has been derailed by injury and a lack of pace. He’s simply not as influential as he used to be whilst wearing the red of Liverpool.
It’s hard to say that he contributed in any meaningful way to Manchester United’s success this season. It’s hard to determine why you’d feel such pride in something that you weren’t really a part of. It’s been a while since Owen got his hands on a half-decent trophy (I’d argue the last one being the 2001 FA Cup) and time may have added importance to this latest trophy.
But that doesn’t excuse his lack of respect towards Liverpool fans. Whilst I don’t imagine too many fans losing sleep over this ‘slight’, it’s unlikely that they’ll continue to hold Owen in such high esteem. A move to Manchester United was insult enough; his latest comments are just the icing on the cake.
Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.
Liverpool obsessed piss head Slur alex only signed him to irritate Liverpool fans….who never wanted him back anyway cos he’s not good enough anymore.
Liverpool can win the title next season, if that long ball man hoof dross can pix it this season Liverpool can win it next, didnt we thrash them about 6 weeks ago?.
Owen’s 2010/11 Premier League Medal is a mere bauble, it’s not worth a carrot.
One league start and ten starts from the bench shouldn’t even qualify for a medal.
When he left Liverpool he wanted to win things…somehow don’t think he meant handouts for bit part players!!
He’s not been regarded as one of our own since the day he decided not to give Rafa a chance.
I think his comments directly related to this fact, the year he leaves LFC was the year we won the CL without him.
owen lost all credibility when he left for madrid he is deffo not one of us, every time he mentions liverpool he has a dig at the fans hes a phoney
“Liverpool fans, who in some ways still view him as one of their own”
ha ha, well researched Harry, ever since he chose Newcastle for the money over us he’s not been seen as one of our own. So you’re at least 5 years out.
Perhaps I put that a bit strongly, yes.
“…to win the Premier League is the pinnacle of anyone’s career…”
Surely the Champion’s League medal won by the Reds in 2005 is the pinnacle. Luckily enough for us, he decided to go and warm the bench in Spain, Barcodeland and the other end of the East Lancs. If he’d stayed we might never have won it.
Thanks Runt!
He should check to see if the medal is hollow cos it certainly should feel hollow around his neck.
The Man U fans don’t give a s**t about him so why he’s shouting his mouth off about them I don’t know. It can only be because he’s got no other teams\fans that care about him…sad!
Michael Owen is very bitter with Liverpool FC because this great club would not take him back after he left for Real Madrid; at a time when the club really needed him. Like Torres after him, it did not work out for him in Madrid.
Lets get it right here. After an illustrious carrier with Liverpool Owen left for Madrid and his first statement was “I’ve come here to win medals”…. SNUB 1.
He decided Newcastle would be a better bet than the team that made him a household name…. SNUB 2.
Knowing the rivalry between the two clubs he signed for the mancs……SNUB 3.
He claims playing a cheerleader role in united’s 19th title is the pinnacle of his carrier…SNUB 4.
The guy has no class, no pace and soon no club.
Stick to ur horses, Owen and never expect a hero’s welcome at Anfield!
“I was desperate for us to win a cup for the first time in six years, but at the party afterwards I didn’t feel as if I’d played a role….naturally I congratulated the lads as much as I could and was happy for the club and the fans, but I wasn’t too bothered about my own medal. I could quite happily have thrown it to the supporters and left it in the crowd”. A disappointed Michael Owen, not after having played a bit part in Manchester United winning the league in 2011, no, this quote was ten years earlier after Liverpool beat Birmingham City on penalties in the then Worthington League Cup Final, with Michael having spent the final warming his posterior on the subs bench. As a young footballer a place on the subs bench did not sit well with Michael, though as his career has progressed he has become accustomed to the role.
Now, some ten years later Michael Owen having made ten league appearances as a substitute, and one league start, scoring two goals for Man United is tweeting “What a feeling! Been a while since I won something. Privileged to play with these players and under this manager. Could be a heavy night!!!” followed by “Thanks for all your support. Just need a Champions League medal now to complete the full set!”. Owen has played a total of 27 minutes in the Champions League, 2 appearances, no goals and I have more chance in playing in the final against Barcelona than he has. So unlikely as it seems for United to beat Barcelona, Owen would be quite happy to boast on twitter that he has a complete set of winners medals if the unthinkable happens on 28th May, my how times have changed.
Oh and another thing, Michael. The year you left for medals at Madrid we won the champions league!
ONE WORD……IDIOT!
Michael who?
Agree totally. Joining our rivals is bad enough but to make almost blatant digs at Liverpool shows the man’s lack of class. Nice one Owen. Your career free-falling the minute you left Anfield. Could’nt have happened too a nicer guy.
Owen should nt even talk coz if it won’t for liverpool he would nt be a house hole name today…
Lack of respect towards Liverpool fans? Don’t make me laugh. Liverpool fans ceased to deserve Owen’s respect when they sent him numerous death threats and chanted F*** O** back to Wales you F****** Taff for the last two years that he played for the club. Quite frankly I feel utter revulsion towards these Vile louts for their treatment of Owen and Gerard Houllier. Liverpool fans do not know the meaning of the word respect. I used to support Liverpool in fact I followed the club for over twenty years. However I could not continue to support a club whose fans were an utter disgrace and the then chief Executive behaved like a total Moron wishing serious injury on people.
a true red is red for ever, are you now a glorious manc? Owen betrayed us and chose to consider himself bigger than the club that made him, good luck to him and his new meddle collection lol.
In many ways Owen’s reaction is as it always was the right thing to say at the right time. Least we forget he is seeking a place in the champions league final. I remember when he first broke on the scene at Liverpool he was special. But in Carragher’s biography he said that Owen’s success with England didn’t go down well with the core Liverpool fans and whilst they realised he was special they didn’t worship him like Fowler. He then left for Real. Didn’t work out and wanted to come back to Liverpool but we couldn’t afford his wages so Newcastle got him. However by then his best days were behind him. We then got Torres and in similar circumstances he has left for glory and with possibly his nest days behind him. What grates me is a quote attributed to Owen that he can’t understand why Capello has ignored him. This appears dilussional when he hardly plays for utd and there are at least six strikers ahead of him in England. His legend status left him when he departed anfield. There appears to be some peculiar hold the club has on these type of players. Leave and you never quite reach the heights again.
I think getting a PL medal after only one start is a little generous to be honest.
Owen is like a United fan, gets frustrated with underachievement at another club so just jumps on the bandwagon.
Piers Morgan summed Owen perfectly. A boyhood Evertonian who played for Liverpool and now MUFC. Enough said 🙁
Put yourself in Owen’s shoes, when you are 31, injury prone and low in confidence. Alex Ferguson the longest serving and most successful manager offers you a chance to revive your career and the prospect of winning medals? What do you do? Of cos join em, I mean a soccer player’s career is only that short and could be ended any time via a nasty injury. Being a liverpool fan , at times I think with my head and not my heart, I do not blame torres, mascherano, xabi alonso and owen for moving on. They stayed a few years at liverpool and things didn’t work out but they had better chances of winning medals when they left, Mascherano won plenty with barca in which liverpool will never win, xabi alonso played for real madird won 1 medal and gets to play champions league yearly, Torres gets to play champions league yearly and almost won a EPL medal last year as I do rem during the last 3-4 games united and chelsea were tied on points and chelsea leading on goal difference and owen won a EPL medal which liverpool was never able to provide him with. Being a pool fan, I do admire Owen alot as he accepted low wages to join Man U and seriously Ferguson has brought back some sparkle to his performances. Have you watched his preseason form? Pretty decent. In our current times, there is no more one man clubs as its all about the money!