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Michael Owen says he couldn't pass up the chance to sign for Real Madrid
my tears

Michael Owen reveals he cried on his way to airport after quitting Liverpool for Real Madrid

Former England star lifts lid on the turmoil in his mind when he quit Anfield for Spain but doubts Philippe Countinho had similar worries when he flew out to join Barcelona

MICHAEL OWEN has revealed how he cried all the way to the airport when he decided to quit Liverpool for Real Madrid.

Owen admitted he could not pass up the chance to test himself in La Liga when Real made their move for him in 2004.

 Michael Owen says he couldn't pass up the chance to sign for Real Madrid
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Michael Owen says he couldn't pass up the chance to sign for Real MadridCredit: Reuters

But the former England star says his mind was still in turmoil about having to quit Anfield even when he was driving to catch his plane to Spain.

And Owen says his emotions at making the move from Merseyside to La Liga will have been in sharp contrast to those Philippe Coutinho experienced joining Barcelona.

Writing in his Mail on Sunday column, Owen said: "When Real Madrid asked me to join them in 2004, part of me was flattered and part of me was in turmoil.

Remember, this was a team with Zinedine Zidane, Raul, David Beckham, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo. Who wouldn’t want to play with them?

 Owen says he cried on the day he left Liverpool to join Real Madrid
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Owen says he cried on the day he left Liverpool to join Real MadridCredit: EPA
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"But my mind chopped and changed and my thought process was going back and forth.

"In the end it boiled down to the fact that if I stayed at Liverpool all my career, I could have had an amazing career like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and could have even won the Champions League, as they did a year later.


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"But I would always have thought: ‘What if?’ I would have had that nagging thought at the back of my mind: ‘What would it have been like to speak a new language, try a different culture, play for one of the greatest teams in world football?’

"I decided I had to go, but even so, I was pretty much crying all the way from my home to the airport. Part of me never wanted to leave.

 Owen joined some of the biggest names in world football at Real Madrid
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Owen joined some of the biggest names in world football at Real MadridCredit: EPA

"Judging from the photos of Philippe Coutinho en route to Barcelona last week, he didn’t feel quite the same way.

"It pretty much seemed as though he was in utopia.

"Of course that is the difference for South American players. You have to accept that playing for Barcelona or Real Madrid is the pinnacle of their career. They will have grown up dreaming of those clubs."

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