Ballon D’Or winner admits he wanted to play for Celtic | OneFootball

Former Liverpool and England International Michael Owen has admitted that he would’ve liked to play for Celtic. The 45-year-old won the Ballon D’Or in 2001 but has revealed his family connection to Celtic, insisting that he would have played for the Hoops.

Owen won the Premier League with Sir Alex at Man Utd, which burned bridges with Liverpool fans. The player would then move on and play for Stoke City.

As reported by Record Sport, the former hitman revealed a family connection to Celtic and that he followed them growing up.

“I guess it purely comes down to your family, doesn’t it? My dad grew up, spent a lot of time in Scotland, his mum was Scottish. My grandparents’ side of the family are Glaswegian, the Donnelly family.

“You listen, you hear, you ask questions in your childhood, and as part of my dad’s upbringing was Scottish and all his side of the family were huge Celtic fans. Naturally, my dad got me a Celtic shirt when I was a kid and I followed them as my team in Scotland. That’s the only connection.

“Of course, I played against Celtic a couple of times but that’s my only connection. It’s my dad’s side and my dad’s side of the family were all big Celtic fans.”

Owen was asked about speculation linking him with a pre-contract move to sign for Celtic in 2009 before the player opted to swap Newcastle for Old Trafford.

“Yeah, I would have loved to have played for Celtic. I really would. That’s one thing I think. At that point in my career, I thought to myself, there were a lot of players at the time going up there, of similar ilk.

“Top players that maybe were around the 30, 31, 32 type of thing and having two or three years up scoring a few goals. And let’s get it right, you’ve got most of the ball all the time. When you’re playing for Celtic, you get most of the ball, you’re going to get more chances.

“It’s actually quite nice, as a player that’s in their 30s to not have to chase around and defend much. You always got the ball; you’re always getting chances. It would have been a lovely way I think to end my career. I don’t wish, but I would have liked at the time to maybe have gone to Celtic towards the end of my career.”

Owen burst onto the scene as a teenage sensation at Liverpool, quickly becoming a household name with his blistering pace and clinical finishing. His unforgettable goal for England against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup cemented his status as a global star.

Owen went on to win the 2001 Ballon d’Or, lifting multiple trophies with Liverpool before moving to Real Madrid for £8m. After an unremarkable period in Spain, Owen returned to the Premier League with Newcastle United before crossing the rubicon with Manchester United. Injuries hampered his later years, but his 158 goals for Liverpool and 40 for England remain testament to his talent. Owen would see out his career at Stoke City but won silverware with Liverpool and then United.