He was a living legend at Liverpool, but like fellow striker Ian Rush, he has never looked the same player away from the comfort zone of Anfield.
Rush tried his luck at Juventus but turned out to be a huge flop, saying those immortal words "Italy was like a foreign country to me".
Owen's time at Madrid was very much hit-and-miss, and there were no tears when Newcastle coughed up £16m for him iover three years ago.
But, knowing what we know now, would NUFC have paid £16m (plus £108,000 a week) for the return they got?
I very much doubt it.
Owen has never been "one of the lads" and I don't believe the Geordies have taken to him the way they did to Malcolm Macdonald, Kevin Keegan, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand or (our own legend) Alan Shearer ... even though he is recognised as a world star.
Even last weekend, while Cacapa took the stick, he may have escaped some of the criticism had Owen put away the easiest of chances in the last 10 minutes of the game at Craven Cottage.
Rush tried his luck at Juventus but turned out to be a huge flop, saying those immortal words "Italy was like a foreign country to me".
Owen's time at Madrid was very much hit-and-miss, and there were no tears when Newcastle coughed up £16m for him iover three years ago.But, knowing what we know now, would NUFC have paid £16m (plus £108,000 a week) for the return they got?
I very much doubt it.
Owen has never been "one of the lads" and I don't believe the Geordies have taken to him the way they did to Malcolm Macdonald, Kevin Keegan, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand or (our own legend) Alan Shearer ... even though he is recognised as a world star.
Even last weekend, while Cacapa took the stick, he may have escaped some of the criticism had Owen put away the easiest of chances in the last 10 minutes of the game at Craven Cottage.
Bob Moncur: "You will have to wait a long time before you see Michael miss another one like that. But it happens to all of us some time in our careers."
But Owen has not looked sharp all season. And personally I think he has lost his lightening pace over the first five yards that was his trade mark.
The same happened to Shearer after that horror injury at Goodison Park that kept him out for almost a full season.
But Shearer changed his game. Rather than being the "shit off a stick" striker feeding off the target man ... he BECAME the target man ... and had the likes of Craig Bellamy doing his running.
Keegan tried to play Owen in the hole just behind the front two, and Joe Kinnear has followed suit. But this has only brought limited success.
I don't believe Owen is happy there, and I also feel he is living on borrowed time at St James' Park because nothing at the club suits him.
He is like a fish out of water on Tyneside, and I've felt that since the day he came to the club.
Something isn't right. And only HE knows why we have only seen 10% of what he gave to Liverpool.