Michael Owen and Alan Shearer are among the greatest strikers English football has ever produced. With 70 international goals between them for the Three Lions, they terrorised many opposition defenders in their prime.
With that in mind, the idea of the duo linking up at Newcastle United must have excited fans of the St James' Park club to no end. However, things did not go well for the pair, and they famously fell out.
Owen failed to endear himself to Newcastle fans during an injury-hit spell with the club, and didn't help himself as he admitted that he was desperate to join Liverpool before joining the Magpies in 2005. Shearer would start out as a teammate before taking over as interim manager in 2009, and this is where the trouble would reach boiling point.
Shearer and Owen Fall Out Over Newcastle Relegation
"Why on earth wouldn't I want to play?"
Newcastle manager Alan Shearer (L) and Michael Owen during training
Needing to avoid defeat on the final day of the 2008-09 season, or else be relegated, Shearer wanted to start £16m striker Owen away at Aston Villa. However, the Englishman claimed he couldn't manage the full 90 minutes, and so played just 25 minutes with Newcastle losing 1-0 and getting relegated.
Amid claims that Owen had not been committed enough to the cause, he would defend himself saying: "Why on earth wouldn't I want to play? I played the best on the big occasions. Why would I bottle it away at Aston Villa? It is ridiculous. Football is about being a hero and scoring goals! If I could have scored a goal that kept Newcastle up I would be absolutely buzzing! Why wouldn't I want to play? And as I say: if it was any other game I wouldn't have been on the bench, but it was the last game and I put myself on the bench.
"I said to Alan, 'I'll do whatever you want'. It is a shame because I have nothing but respect for him - his career, him as a person - but I just feel really sad that he almost uses me as a scapegoat for what happened in his managerial career at Newcastle."
15 Best English Footballers Ever Ranked Related
20 Best English Footballers of All Time (Ranked)
The greatest players that England has produced down the years - ranked in order.
Owen Claimed Shearer Wanted Liverpool Move
Gerard Houllier wanted transfer and felt Newcastle star was open to Anfield switch
The beef carried on for years and in 2019, Shearer called out Owen online after the Ballon d'Or winner admitted he 'couldn't wait to retire' during the final six or seven years of his career. He said: "Yes Michael, we thought that also, whilst [you were] on £120k a week..."
Amid the social media spat, Owen took to Twitter to make a remarkable claim about Shearer. Hitting back at the job, he questioned the Newcastle icon's loyalty, stating that he'd been keen to quit the Magpies and join Liverpool:
"Not sure you are as loyal to Newcastle as you make out mate. I distinctly remember you being inches away from signing for Liverpool after Sir Bobby Robson put you on the bench. You tried everything to get out."
It seems as though there may have been some truth behind those claims. At the very least, Liverpool did consider making a swoop for Shearer during this period.
Club legend Phil Thompson, who was manager Gerard Houllier’s assistant at the time, admitted that the Reds tried to sign the Newcastle star, telling the Liverpool Echo:
"Alan was still a god at Newcastle, but he had not signed his new contract. Gerard (Houllier) came to me and said: 'Do you fancy Alan Shearer?' I said 'Of course!' although I felt there was little or no chance of securing his services because of his ties to the North East.
"Gerard felt he could be another Gary McAllister for us, a great pro who could spark things with his approach, attitude and quality."
He revealed that Newcastle weren't keen to sell but there had been "early indications" that a deal could be done with Shearer open to a move, noting: "We said we would like to be kept informed, aware that it would be a major coup to capture someone of Shearer's stature. We also knew that it would be a massive negotiation, but early indications were that he would come.
"Nothing happened over a period of 10 days and then all of a sudden the Geordie hero got the contract at St James' Park that he had wanted.
"That had been my only fear, that his advisers might have used Liverpool's interest to force Newcastle's hand, but Alan Shearer is as honest and down to earth as they come and Gerard was convinced that his interest in joining us was genuine.
"The boss had been in talks with Bobby Robson about a possible deal and we know that Shearer didn't use us. In the end it was his sheer love of all things Geordie that kept him in the North East."