10 Great Players Who Were Ruined By Newcastle United

10. Michael Owen

Liverpool. Real Madrid. Newcastle United. Michael Owen's £16.8 million move to St James' Park always felt a little weird. The striker has always said that he wished he had gone back to Anfield after leaving Spain after just one season and I don't think many of the Magpies' fans would have minded if he had. Ranked as one of the best English strikers of all time, Owen scored 118 goals in 216 league games for Liverpool and (despite many thinking he flopped) managed 13 goals in 36 games which isn't a bad return for a player making the transition of playing football abroad. 20,000 adoring Geordies applauded the England forward as he joined the club in 2005 yet their cheers were rarely aimed in Owen's direction post his spectacular unveiling. The pacy forward scored 26 league goals on Tyneside in 71 games but spent the majority of his time injured and he became known for being part of the Newcastle United side that were relegated after the 2008-09 season. He moved to Manchester United in 2009 and Stoke City in 2012 but never rekindled the form he showed prior to his move up North.