Real Madrid, this Ballon d'Or did not want to go there

Already president of Real Madrid at the dawn of the 21st century, Florentino Pérez then decided to create an extraordinary team. He then does what is necessary to recruit the best attackers and midfielders of the moment. Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, David Beckham and even Michael Owen are recruited in turn, with more or less conclusive results. For the last named, the marriage quickly turned into a fiasco and he left again only a year after his arrival. Twenty years later, Owen spoke about his time at Real.

In an interview given to The Athleticthe man who won the 2001 Ballon d'Or made a thunderous admission: he didn't really want to leave Liverpool to join Real Madrid. “Real Madrid is a very glamorous club, but at no time did I think or dream of playing for them. When I heard about their interest, I had mixed emotions. I was flattered that such a club was interested in me. But I was also skeptical. »

Owen loses control of his career

For the man who had until then been the man of one and only club (Liverpool), this change was far from obvious. “I mulled over the idea for almost a week about whether it would be interesting for me to go there, and then I decided to go. I spoke with (Rafa) Benitez and Rick Parry (respectively the coach and CEO of Liverpool at the time, editor's note) and we agreed that I would leave for a year or two before coming back. […] In reality, I didn't want to leave. Liverpool was my club. But at the same time, I told myself that if I didn't try the adventure, I might regret it. »

But even if his time at Real Madrid was not crowned with success, Michael Owen still retains a certain satisfaction. “I didn't grow up wanting to play for Real Madrid, but it's an honor to have been able to do it. » With regret despite everything, conceded this time in the columns of Telegraph : “The moment I chose to join Real Madrid, I lost control of my career and the perception that others would have of it. »