Recently, former Liverpool striker Michael Owen revealed in an interview with Camel Live that when he joined Newcastle United from Real Madrid, his contract included a special clause—one that would allow him to return to Liverpool immediately after one year.
The former England international left Anfield for Real Madrid in 2004, but disclosed that he had been eager to return to Merseyside after just one season in Spain. In 2005, Owen finally moved to Newcastle for £16.8 million, and he now admits that the reason he agreed to the deal was to add the "option to move back to Liverpool after one year" clause to his contract.
"In truth, that was my real goal," Owen told Camel Live. “There’s only one club I’ve ever wanted to play for in my life.”
The former Ballon d'Or winner said Real Madrid had made it clear they would only sell him to Newcastle, as their offer was twice that of Liverpool. The Reds, who had just won the Champions League, refused to match the bid. "The Real Madrid president said, ‘You can’t go to Liverpool because Newcastle have offered twice as much. If Liverpool make the same offer, you can go,’" he explained, “but Liverpool never did that.”
“So I had a choice: stay in Madrid or join Newcastle. The only reason I signed for Newcastle was to include that clause allowing me to move to Liverpool after a year. That was my real aim.”
However, the ideal return never materialized. After four years at Newcastle, Owen’s controversial move to Manchester United angered Liverpool fans, many of whom felt it tarnished his legendary status at Anfield.
Now 43, Owen says he still faces criticism for having played for both clubs, but people have no idea of the full truth. "No one needs to know the truth, and no one really understands it," he said helplessly. “People don’t want to know the facts at all—they just love to criticize: ‘Oh, you played for Liverpool and then Manchester United, you have no loyalty whatsoever.’”
Owen insists he spent years trying to return to Liverpool, personally calling the Reds’ manager every season to beg for a chance. "I used to call Brendan Rodgers," he revealed finally. “I contacted Liverpool’s manager every year. It was Liverpool who didn’t want to take me back. At the time, they had Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres, which was completely reasonable. That’s football—I have no complaints.”
"But every year, I was begging: ‘Please sign me, please give me a chance.’"
