Michael Owen and Alan Shearer feud: What happened between former Newcastle strikers?

Michael Owen and Alan Shearer used to be teammates and pretty good friends, but the former Newcastle United and England colleagues no longer see eye to eye.

You’d do well to find a single Newcastle fan with a bad word to say about Shearer, the club’s greatest ever player and the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer.

On the other hand, you’d do well to find a single Newcastle supporter with a positive word to say about Owen, who joined the Magpies from Real Madrid for £16 million in 2005.

Owen, who scored 30 goals in 79 games at Newcastle, further angered the St James’ Park faithful this week by openly admitting that he was desperate to join Liverpool before and during his ill-fated spell in the north-east.

Read more: Michael Owen tells full story of move to Newcastle from Real Madrid

A return to Anfield never materialised and Owen then ruined his legacy in the eyes of Liverpool fans by signing for Manchester United in 2009.

Owen joined Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, inheriting Cristiano Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt in the process, after experiencing relegation for the first time in his career with Newcastle.

It was shortly beforehand that the Owen and Shearer feud began.

Newcastle needed to avoid defeat away at Aston Villa on the final day of the 2008-09 season to avoid being relegated to the Championship.

Shearer wanted to start Owen in order to give his team the best possible chance of getting a result, but the club’s star striker told his manager that he didn’t feel fit enough to play the full 90 minutes.

Owen came on for the final 25 minutes, while Shearer was powerless to prevent his beloved boyhood club from suffering a 1-0 defeat and being relegated from the top-flight. The former England captain has never