INTERVIEW
Michael Owen interview, part 1: Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, Arda Güler, Ronaldo, Beckham
AS USA sat down with Michael Owen to speak about his time at Real Madrid and the current climate at the club.
The morning sun curiously pokes around the corner to ask what we’re doing up at this time and eyes are being rubbed as Michael Owen’s smiling face plonks down in front of me. “This is how I like it, a late night and up early”, he says. We’re good to go, then.
We dive right in. Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo last weekend and it’s been another remarkable match day in the LaLiga title race. Los Blancos continue their dominance at the top of the table - but not everyone has been smiling.
· Read Part 2 of the Michael Owen interview: Manchester United and Erik ten Hag’s future
Arda Güler, the young Turkish midfielder signed from Fenerbahce in the summer, has not seen a lot of minutes due to injuries and the depth of talent in the Madrid ranks. However, he got his first goal for the club, against the Galicians, and all of a sudden, things are looking up.
“I’d like to say I had first hand experience”, says Owen, who has anticipated my next sentence - no flies on him at this time of the day - “but I didn’t really when I was 17-years-old.
Güler turned 19-years-old a couple of weeks ago. By this age Owen was already two years into his professional contract with Liverpool, and just three years away from winning the Ballon d’Or. “It’s a balance when you’re a young kid”, he responds to whether or not Güler is justified in (reportedly) being upset.
“You can go and play every week for a lesser team”, Owen continues “or you can learn the ropes, train and play with some of the great players. “That’s an invaluable experience”.
“The best example”, he adds, unprompted, now in the flow as I tip up the empty second coffee mug in front of me, “I suppose at the moment is Phil Foden. And in England, at Manchester City, his numbers - I think he’s 23-years-old - are quite low, considering he’s not really had a bad injury. The thing is that Pep Guardiola managed him right the way through that and left him out an awful lot.”
At Real Madrid, the midfield position is one that, quite clearly, they are not in dire straits for the moment. But “Modric and Kroos aren’t going to last forever” Owen counters, “so there’s going to be a real opportunity at Real Madrid in the future for these young midfielders, there’s going to be a lot of opportunities to have a long career there - for the right person.”
The “balancing act”, as the former striker calls it, is not being taken lightly in Turkey, where the pressure for Güler to play is ferocious and Spain has become aware of this hurricane warning.
“The weight of a nation” is something he’s been used to, yet he sees Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti as the right place. “You’ve not only got the player himself and his entourage, but you’ve also got a huge, passionate nation. But as I say, he’s in good hands. Trust the process… someone like Carlo Ancelotti would be very well placed to manage the situation.”
On how to handle yourself at Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world, Owen admits that he walked into a “pleasant” squad of “top-class players”.
“I guess it was the year of the Galácticos”, he adds, knowingly, before explaining his problem-free welcome into the side . “Ronaldo, Figo, Zidane, Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Raul - there was no end of top class players. My transfer happened relatively quickly, and there was a language barrier straight away from certain players, but there were a lot of players like Michel Salgado, Figo, Raul Bravo, Pavón and Ronaldo who could speak English, so that helped in many ways. But (everyone) was welcoming.”
“Obviously people assume because you have a lot of big names and big stars that it’s not a friendly dressing room, but it was excellent. The Brazilian lads were really friendly and welcoming. Figo spoke perfect English; he was a great help for me. I had Beckham and Woodgate as well, and there was Gravesen, who had just signed. There were lots of people that I could talk to, that I could have conversation with. It was a good dressing room to be part of.”
Read Part 2 of the Michael Owen interview now: Manchester United and the Premier League. Interview conducted with BetIdeas.