Owen admits almost leaving Liverpool four years earlier at height of career

29 October 2023 , 08:30

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Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen (Image: PA)

Michael Owen has revealed he almost left Liverpool to join Inter Milan in 2000, a year before he became just the fourth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or.

Owen enjoyed a breakthrough campaign as a teenager in the 1997-98 season, scoring 23 goals for Liverpool across all competitions. He went on to enjoy several more successful years at Anfield, notably helping Liverpool win a treble in 2001 as they lifted the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

The forward ultimately left to join La Liga giants Real Madrid in 2004, but Owen has now revealed he could have joined Inter instead four years earlier. "I came close to joining Inter Milan around the turn of the century, they came in for me," he told DAZN Bet.

"But I was happy at Liverpool at the time and didn't take talks any further. My agent made me aware of the interest and said that they had enquired about getting me. That was when Italian football was the biggest in the world and then Spain took over, and since then the Premier League has taken over now."

However, Owen ultimately decided to remain at Anfield for four more years with Liverpool's treble and his 2001 Ballon d'Or win validating his decision. To this day, the striker remains the last Englishman to have won the Ballon d'Or, but he believes either Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane could one day win the award themselves.

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"It's a simple process with the Ballon d'Or," he explained. "You need to be in a successful team, and you need to be the star player in that team.

"Kane and Bellingham are in successful teams now, both have the opportunity to win their domestic leagues and then have the opportunity to win the Champions League as well. If they do that, and have a good international season as well and are the star men, then you put yourself in with a chance of winning it.

Owen won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 after helping Liverpool win a treble

"I look back to the year I won it, we won trophies in that individual year, and I was the top goalscorer in that team. I believe it was 28 goals.

"Then we had a really successful international time too, qualifying for the World Cup where I scored my hat-trick in Germany, creating a historic win. That whole season really fell into place for me and we were a successful team, winning a European competition.

"If you're not in a Euros or a World Cup year then obviously the Champions League probably takes more of a pecking order. It's just a simple combination of being the star man in a star team. And both Kane and Bellingham have the ingredients to do it."

Matthew Cooper