Footie ace Michael Owen is unlikely to forget the rapturous welcome he received as he made his first appearance at new club Newcastle United. The diminutive player, who has just arrived from Spanish giants Real Madrid, was greeted by 20,000 screaming fans when he stepped out onto the grass of St James' Park stadium. A huge roar erupted from the stands when the team's latest signing emerged onto the pitch wearing the Magpies' distinctive black and white strip. With his two-year-old daughter Gemma Rose in his arms, the athlete waved enthusiastically to the crowds who had gathered to see him. "Seeing this reception I just wish there was a game tomorrow," he confessed.
Michael has spent the last year playing alongside England skipper David Beckham in the Spanish capital, but Real also counts the legendary striker Ronaldo among its squad so it has been hard for him to get a game. The former Liverpool star was forced to think hard about his future after "the galacticos", as they are known, signed up Brazilian aces Robinho and Baptista, thereby pushing him further down the pecking order.
The 25-year-old had originally hoped to return to Liverpool, but his former club was unable to pay his £17-million transfer fee. "It came down to staying at Real Madrid or coming to Newcastle and I didn't have a decision to make," he said. "The manager Graeme Souness was very understanding. He said: 'Half your heart is pulling you back to where you've played all your footballing life. There's nothing wrong with that'."
But after being treated to a hero's welcome on Wednesday afternoon, Michael sounded confident he and his pregnant wife Louise would be very happy in their new hometown. "I wanted to come back and play in England again, waking up on a Saturday morning and getting really excited about playing in front of 50,000 supporters," he explained. "I am back where I belong."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
