I won six trophies at Liverpool - but I can't forget getting booed and don't love going back to Anfield

Michael Owen has admitted that he does not enjoy returning to Anfield - and will only do so for work purposes.

The former striker swiftly became Liverpool fans’ favourite after bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old. He scored on his debut in a 2-1 loss against Wimbledon in 1997 before becoming a regular. In the 2000-01 season, Owen played a key role as the Reds won the FA Cup - in which he netted a double against Arsenal in the final - UEFA Cup and League Cup. He was subsequently named that year’s Ballon d'Or winner and helped win the Charity Shield and UEFA Super Cup in the same year along with a second League Cup two years later.

But in 2004, after firing 158 goals in 297 appearances, Owen made the controversial decision to leave Liverpool. With just a year remaining on his contract, he left for Real Madrid in a deal worth only £8 million.

Owen would spend just one year at the Spanish giants before returning to Newcastle United the following year. What’s more, he missed out on a chance to etch himself into club folklore with Liverpool winning the Champions League as they famously pulled off the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ when coming from three goals down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties in the final.

Owen would go on to further damage his Liverpool legacy when joining bitter rivals Manchester United in 2009. Speaking to the Telegraph, the ex-England international admitted the lure of Madrid was too tempting to turn down.

And after being booed on his return to Anfield with Newcastle, coupled with his decision to move to Old Trafford, is why Owen feels he’s no longer endeared by Kopites. He said: When the chance came, I felt I had to give it a go. Growing up, if you ask most people what is the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid is the holy grail for a footballer. The white kit, the history, the European Cups, the stadium. We are all biased towards the teams we support, but if we’re honest being wanted by Madrid is the ultimate for any footballer, so getting that chance pulled my heartstrings. It is a magical place.

“They wanted me with [Luís] Figo, [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos. I looked at that and thought it would have been harder not to score. I thought long and hard about leaving Liverpool, but in the end something inside told me I would regret it if I didn’t give it a go.

“The moment I chose to go to Real Madrid I lost control of my career and what the perceptions of it are. I don’t love going to Anfield now because I know I am not loved back. I tend to only go when I am working. It’s not that I dread going, but for a long time I used to bury my head when driving back to the academy to see friends. I have told myself since, I should not have been feeling like that. People say now: ‘It was because he signed for Manchester United.’ But the whole world knows there has been some history rewritten there. There was resentment directed at me before then when I played for Newcastle, even though I had a clause in my Newcastle contract that I could re-sign for Liverpool every summer.

“The Manchester United aspect is now an easier stick to beat me with, but when I came back to Anfield for the first time as a Newcastle player, there were a few hundred, possibly a thousand supporters, booing me. I can’t forget how I, my parents, and my former Liverpool team-mates felt. Everyone who understood and appreciated the reality of the situation was disappointed on my behalf.”