Michael Owen may have been one of Liverpool’s best youth products and was adored by the Anfield club’s fans as a young striker.
However, it’s safe to say that the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner will not be considered a legend in the eyes of most Reds fans. He forced through a transfer to Real Madrid in 2004. Owen further insulted Liverpool fans in 2009 when he opted to sign for their arch-rivals Manchester United in 2009 after his contract with Newcastle ended.
The following are three players who insulted Chelsea in a similar way to how Owen insulted Liverpool.
Oscar
Oscar shocked the football world in 2017 when he opted to join Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG where he has remained ever since. The South American was a mainstay in the Blues starting xi during his five years at the club between 2012-17, helping it to win two Premier League titles, one League Cup and one Europa League.
By signing for the Chinese club in the prime of his powers, Oscar also sacrificed his international career with Brazil and he has not represented his country since 2015.
Though Oscar’s decision seems bizarre, he can also be considered a genius. The money that he is earning in China means that he won’t have to stress for funds after retirement.
Diego Costa
The Brazilian-born Spanish striker joined Chelsea in 2014 from Atletico Madrid and was expected to be the heir to club legend Didier Drogba. Costa showed class at Stamford Bridge as he went on to score 52 Premier League goals from 89 appearances for the club.
Chelsea fans would have been relieved as karma appears to have caught up with Costa. His return to Atletico failed to yield success and ended on bitter terms in December 2020.
Eden Hazard
During a seven-year spell with Chelsea, Hazard managed to become one of the best playmakers in English and world football.
He left Chelsea to join Real Madrid in order to take his career to the next level and win the Champions League, something which he failed to do at Chelsea.
Karma also appears to have caught up with the Belgian. He has been a shadow of the player that he was for Chelsea at Los Blancos.