Michael Owen has acknowledged that each time he played for Manchester United against Liverpool, he felt as though he was “punching his brother”.
The now 45-year-old had a stellar football career from 1996 to 2013, first rising through Liverpool’s junior systems before enjoying an incredible eight years at Anfield. Before joining Real Madrid in 2004, Owen won an FA Cup, two League Cups, a Charity Shield, a UEFA Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup with the Reds, amassing 158 goals and 49 assists in 297 games.
However, his time with Los Blancos was remarkably brief; he only played for the Spanish capital for one year before rejoining the Premier League and wearing Newcastle United’s black and white. Owen returned to the north-west after four years on Tyneside, but this time he was wearing a different shade of red, having signed for United, his former rival, in 2009.
Although Owen claims that he is “fine” in the eyes of both Liverpool and United fans, he has also mentioned that every time he played for the Red Devils against his old team, he felt queasy. Owen clarified in a 2021 interview with the Daily Mail: “Well, I’m quite fine at both.
“The derby winner, Champions League hat-trick, and cup final goal all demonstrate how well-liked I am at Manchester United. We both understand that I’m not one of their own, yet we still have positive memories and respect for one another. But it’s in my heart when I go through the doors of Liverpool. I detested returning as a player. I thought I was hitting my brother. Being jeered made me feel ill.
The strange voice may yell, ‘you Manc,’ but I can put it in a box,” he added. “It doesn’t happen very often now. Even so, I still think that I would like inheriting Stevie’s [Steven Gerrard] or Carra’s [Jamie Carragher] legacy. The season I departed, Liverpool won the Champions League.
“I really wanted my friends to win, but I was also devastated because, “God, it could have been me.” That’s something I have to accept. I made the decision to go.
Before leaving the Old Trafford elite in 2012, Owen won the Premier League, another FA Cup, and the League Cup each. He played one season with Stoke before retiring in 2013 and entering the punditry industry. Despite without winning a title with the country, he had an incredible 10-year international career with England from 1998 to 2008, scoring 40 goals in 89 games.
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