On this day in 2005, Michael Owen agreed to leave Real Madrid and join Newcastle United in one of the summer’s biggest transfers.
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The Magpies paid a club-record £16.8 million for the England international, surpassing the £15m spent on Alan Shearer in 1996. Owen signed a four-year contract and was officially presented at St James’ Park the following day.
Around 20,000 supporters attended his unveiling, underlining the excitement surrounding the arrival of the former Liverpool star and 2001 Ballon d’Or winner.
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Owen had spent just one season with Real Madrid after moving to Spain from Liverpool in 2004. Despite regularly competing with Ronaldo and Raul for a starting place, he scored an impressive 16 goals in 45 appearances for the Spanish giants.
Liverpool were also interested in bringing him back to Anfield, but Newcastle’s offer proved decisive.
Owen made a promising start on Tyneside, scoring seven Premier League goals in his first 11 appearances. That included a perfect hat-trick in a 4-2 victory against West Ham United.
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However, injuries repeatedly disrupted his Newcastle career. A broken metatarsal was followed by the serious knee injury he suffered while representing England at the 2006 World Cup.
The striker eventually registered 30 goals in 79 appearances across all competitions for the Magpies. His four-year stay ended after Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League in 2009, when he joined Manchester United on a free transfer.
Photo: Action Images / Paul Burrows
