Michael Owen claims he left Liverpool to join Real Madrid in order to prove Jamie Carragher wrong. Owen quit Liverpool in 2004 to move to La Liga giants Real.
The former striker claims ex-Reds team-mate Carragher tried to persuade him not to move to the Bernabeu because he would not get much game time.
But that spurred Owen on to prove he had what it took to succeed in the Spanish capital.
“I was in America, me and Jamie Carragher were sharing the same room,” Owen told talkSPORT.
“We were on a pre-season tour and Rafa Benitez had just taken over at Liverpool.
“My agent phoned me and said ‘Madrid want to buy you”.
“I just remember putting the phone down after a couple of minutes discussing it and Carragher has looked at me and said ‘don’t do it’.
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“And I said to him ‘why not?’ and he said I wouldn’t play there. That actually made me sign for them, thinking I’m going to prove Carra wrong!
“I always say to myself that it was a nice problem. How could you complain about Real Madrid being interested in you?
“Talking of sleepless nights… one day I was thinking I can’t leave my family and friends [at Liverpool].”