Despite his boyhood allegiance towards Everton, it seemed that for all intents and purposes, Michael Owen would go down as a Liverpool legend.
After all, having marked his debut as a teenager against Wimbledon in 1997 with a goal, the striker went on to find the net on a regular basis for the red half of Merseyside. Such was his impact on the team that from 1998 to 2004, Owen was Liverpool's leading goalscorer in every single season.
Although not a Scouser by birth, having risen through the ranks at Anfield, Owen was viewed by supporters as being one of their own. From the outside looking in at least, it appeared that the frontman would spend his entire career with Liverpool.
Yet, that all changed 11 years ago today when with just 12 months left to run on his contract, the England international opted to join David Beckham at Real Madrid.
In return, Liverpool received around £8m for the 24-year-old's services and winger Antonio Nunez, who had scored one goal during his 13 appearances for Madrid.
Donning the number 11 shirt that had once been worn by Los Blancos legend Alfredo Di Stefano, Owen said: "I am so proud to be wearing the number 11 shirt and I'd like to thank everyone for making me so welcome here. I would like to say a special thank you for being given the opportunity to play for the best team in the world."
As for Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, he added: "I was very happy with Michael and I wanted him to stay. The problem was he only had a year left on his contract. Real Madrid started talking with his agent and in the end it was an impossible situation to control."
It didn't work out for Owen at the Bernabeu as he found starting opportunities hard to come by. He still managed to score a respectable 19 goals in the famous white shirt, yet after just one year in the Spanish capital, he returned to the Premier League with Newcastle United.
However, as Owen recently revealed on Sportslobster, he had hoped that a move back to Liverpool, for whom he had scored 158 goals, would be in the offing.
"It was never my intention to leave Liverpool. I had always thought I'd be a one-club man. I was in America on a pre-season tour when my phone rang with the news. My agent told me that Real Madrid had been in touch and wanted to sign me. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," he wrote.
"As I thought, I was able to adapt my game to a different style and playing 43 games and notching 19 goals in the process was a record to be proud of.
"The only drawback from my decision to head to Madrid was, that after a year in Spain, I didn't manage to rejoin my boyhood team."
Owen never did play for Liverpool again, instead turning out for the Magpies, Manchester United and Stoke City before he retired in 2013.
Liam Apicella
