Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has revealed how painful he found it returning to Anfield and receiving criticism for his past decisions to move away from the Premier League side.
The ex-England international was once a much-loved figure at Liverpool as he netted 158 times in 297 appearances for the Reds between 1997 and 2004.
However, when he switched to make the move to Spain to join La Liga giants Real Madrid, Owen’s reputation was tarnished and, however, what put the 40-year-old in the hate books of the Liverpool faithful was when Owen made the move to join fierce rivals Manchester United in 2009 which made quite a few Liverpool fans wash their hands of him completely.
But Owen has recently opened up on Jamie Carragher’s podcast and revealed how much the verbal abuse hurts him when he comes back to Anfield because he still has a love for the club.
Owen said that he would cry in the lounge due to the hurt of leaving the club but blamed only himself for the decision he made, “It has been painful going back to Anfield. Crying in the playing lounge and hoping nobody sees. It has been torture for a long time. It is like splitting up with your wife. I can only blame myself, I said yes to Real Madrid. I still love Liverpool.”
Even though Owen was a fantastic player for Liverpool during the seven years at the club even winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001, he should not have joined Manchester United despite being aware of the rivalry between the two teams.
