Jamie Carragher's Brutal Reaction When He Found Out Michael Owen Was Leaving Liverpool For Real Madrid

Michael Owen has revealed that Jamie Carragher said he wouldn't play a match at Real Madrid ahead of "Raul, Ronaldo and Fernando Morientes."

The 39-year-old former Liverpool striker spent eight years at Anfield before he completed a sensational move to Los Blancos in 2004.

But Liverpool legend Carragher was adamant that Owen shouldn't leave the Reds and was desperate to stop him from moving to Madrid.

The former Manchester United and Newcastle player told FourFourTwo that Carragher said he wouldn't stand much of a chance against the other Galactico signings.

"We were on a pre-season tour in America and my agent phoned me while I was in my room with Carragher, who got wind of what we were talking about," Owen recalled.

"I put down the phone and he said, 'Pfft, don't go. They've got Raul, Ronaldo and Fernando Morientes -- you won't get a game.'"

Owen failed to replicate his Liverpool impact at Madrid and managed to make 45 appearances and score 16 times for the club before he was sold to Newcastle.

The Ballon d'Or winner returned to England with the Magpies, but his career failed to pick up momentum and was blighted with injuries.

While Owen was able to capture the Premier League title with United in the 2010-11 season, he admitted that he wanted a return to Liverpool in his career.

He explained: "I just had this overriding feeling towards it.

"I thought 'if I do go, then I've already played for Liverpool for a long time and, hopefully, I could always come back.'

"I had to go and sample it -- the Galacticos, that white kit, where everyone prances about like an angel, that amazing stadium, a different culture."

Owen would leave Newcastle in 2009 and would subsequently spend three seasons at Old Trafford.

And he would leave United for Stoke City before announcing his retirement from football in 2013.

The ex-Liverpool star made 297 appearances for the Reds and scored an impressive 158 times, along with scooping the Ballon d'Or in 2001.

And Owen also added silverware to his prolific playing career when he was at Liverpool by lifting the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Liverpool, Los Blancos, Anfield, REds, Premier League, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Real Madrid, La Liga

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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