Open Letter to Mr Owen

Hi there Mr Owen,

How are you? How did you enjoy your summer holiday? Holiday is over right? I mean, pre-season is starting soon and most players are already backed with their team doing their fitness right now.

I wonder where did you go for your holiday this summer. Some exotic island maybe? Or probably you went to one of those fitness farms as you were just recovering from your injury? I’m probably far off here. Maybe you didn’t travel anywhere at all. Maybe you just spent time at home with your gorgeous wife and your beautiful kid instead. And golfing. Or maybe, yeah I think this was it, you ‘spent’ time with your race horses, one of your biggest passions, right?


I’m just playing the guessing game here. There are 1001 things you could have done and 1001 places you could have gone to during your holiday. Anything is possible, because you are Michael Owen. You have the name and you certainly have the money. You could even go to space I think, had you really wanted to.

For me, life is as usual. Actually right now it’s a bit boring to be honest because, yeah you’ve guessed it, it is the off season. No football, nothing really to look forward to. The closest I can get to football is by reading all the transfer gossips. Also I keep looking out for your news, keeping an eye on your next step and secretly hoping you would come back to Liverpool. Yes, Liverpool. I’m a big fan of Liverpool Football Club, Mr Owen. I’m obsessed about the club.

Do you know how I started supporting Liverpool? Well I have always told people I’m a fan of Liverpool since as far as I can remember. But I was one of those glory hunters then. I don’t know much about the team at all, but I wanted to be associated with them because at that time they were very successful. And I mean VERY SUCCESSFUL. (Of course you know all about it). But you know what made me a real fan? It was the 1996 FA Cup final, Liverpool vs Man Utd. We lost 0-1 in that game. I’m not going to go into the details, but the unfortunate way Liverpool lost that game made me a real fan.

But still after that game, I was nowhere near as big of a fan as I am now. It took another factor that elevated my interest to Liverpool Football Club to a near obsession. Took me another factor that made me learned everything there is to learn about the club. The tradition, the history, the success, the failure. I read up and learned all that. And that factor was you, Mr Owen. You made me the fan that I am today. My obsession with Liverpool Football Club started with you.

Like I said, after that game I started to learn more about the club. I took more interest, and that was when I learned about you. A young player making waves in the reserve team. Everyone spoke highly of you. At that time all the experts said you were the next big thing. At that time you broke every scoring record there were to break on the reserve level. Naturally I got very excited. A young player from Liverpool’s own academy on the verge of breaking through, to continue the tradition of the club in having great players playing for the team. People were dead certain you were going to take the world by storm.

And you proved them right. You took the world by storm. Just minutes into your debut you scored what would be your trademark goal - playing off defenders’ shoulder and using your perfect timing, anticipation and pace to break free from your marker and calmly slot the ball home. You announced your arrival perfectly to the world in that debut game against Wimbledon. 1997, the year a young 17 year old Michael Owen made his debut for Liverpool.

From then on you never looked back. After an excellent first full season with Liverpool, you went to the world cup and scored THAT goal. THAT goal everybody still talks about till this day. You became the most feared striker in the world. And I was really proud of you, a product of Liverpool Youth Academy. I was really, really honoured to be supporting you, to cheer for every goal you scored. At that time I was convinced you were going to play for Liverpool until you retire. At that time I cannot imagine Liverpool without you. To me, you were almost as big as the team itself.

And your personality, you were the perfect model pro. You conducted yourself perfectly on and off the pitch. People called you Mr Clean, to reflect your professionalism. In short, you were almost ‘unreal’. One of the best football players in the world with the best attitude; humble and down to earth. Like I said, you were almost unreal.

That doesn’t mean you didn’t face any problems though. Like any other mortals, you too had to face your fair share of crisis and controversies. Human nature right, we like to create heroes and then destroy them. Your style of play and your injury problems became the focus of the world. Critics said time and again you were too one dimensional. Every mistake you made on the pitch got pounced on. And I defended you time and again.

When you won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2001, I was so happy for you. You were officially the best player in Europe that year. How cool was that? That shut up a lot of critics didn’t it? And every time you got your injury, especially when it was your hamstring, they say you were finish. And again I defended you every time, and of course you came back with style after each injury. Way to show it to them, Mr Owen!

You gave me so many great memories, so, so many. The FA Cup final against Arsenal for instance, when you scored both goals to win the cup. I will never ever forget that. There are many more great memories from you, Mr Owen, too many to list them all here. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mr Owen. You were my hero.

And because you were the hero I used to look up to, today is so hard for me. Because you were my hero, I’m feeling deeply betrayed by the news I heard today. How could you?

I think every Liverpool fan thought you were going to stay with Liverpool forever. When you ditched Liverpool to sign for Real Madrid, there was this unbelievable outrage against you. They called you a traitor. They called you Judas. But not me Mr Owen. I was on your side. I defended you. Make no mistake, you leaving Liverpool devastated me. But still I defended you. I told everyone you were entitled to look after yourself, that you were entitled to go pursue your ambition because Liverpool quite frankly couldn’t fulfill the ambition that you had. I said you didn’t owe the club anything because you have given so much. In fact I felt you have given the club and the fans more than they deserved, so no one can question your decision to leave Liverpool.

Even with the way you left Liverpool, the coldness in the way you make the move to Real Madrid, still I defended you.

When things didn’t go to plan for you at Madrid, the fans that you left ridiculed you. They said that’s what you get for leaving Liverpool. “Suits him right, the Judas!” Still, I defended you.

When Liverpool won the Champions League on that glorious night in Istanbul, the fans mocked you by chanting “Michael where were you in Istanbul?”. Every time I heard that I always snap back “Get off his back, I have no doubt he was cheering for us because he is one of us.” I defended you.

When you chose freaking Newcastle over us they all say you were a money grabbing bastard, that you never cared about Liverpool. You only cared about yourself. “See, didn’t I tell you, he is nothing but a selfish bastard who only cares about money.” You practically spat on our faces, Mr Owen, when you chose Newcastle instead of coming back to us. But still, I defended you.

When Newcastle got relegated, again the insults they directed towards you were thick and fast. They laughed at you, Mr Owen, and still I defended you! After all that you’ve done, I still defended you.

From the height of that treble season you had with us, winning Ballon d’Or, you are now a has been out of contract who got relegated, who is the butt of jokes, who lost all the ability that once made you the most feared striker in the world. Who lost all the respects that you had. AND STILL I DEFENDED YOU!

But no more Mr Owen. Enough is enough. Your latest betrayal is too much for me to take. How could you?! Man Utd? How could you even consider this? Doesn’t Liverpool mean anything to you? You use to wear Liverpool’s jersey and kissed the club crest proudly; didn’t that mean anything to you? You really are the money grabbing cold bastard people were talking about. And to think that I’ve defended you all the time before this. You make me sick, Mr Owen! From now on I couldn’t care less about you. From now on I will never wish you well anymore.

At the time I’m writing this, your move to Man Utd is still pending the medical. But whatever happens in the next few hours, either you pass or fail the medical, either you officially become a Man Utd player or not, you are already tainted.

The bridge is burned, Mr Owen.