‘I got ridiculed for saying this’: Michael Owen uses Lionel Messi’s tweet about Real Madrid to hit back at being mocked for stating Liverpool were still European kings despite Champions League final defeat
- Michael Owen stated that Liverpool were still Europe’s ‘most feared’ team
- Liverpool lost the Champions League final after a 1-0 defeat by Real Madrid
- Fans and fellow pundit Rio Ferdinand disagreed with the ex-Liverpool star
- However, Lionel Messi has also claimed Real Madrid are not Europe’s best team
Michael Owen has responded to being ridiculed over his claims that Liverpool remain the best team in Europe after sharing similar comments from Lionel Messi on his Twitter account.
Owen was lambasted by many supporters after declaring that the Reds were still Europe’s top dogs despite suffering a 1-0 defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday night at the Stade de France.
Although Liverpool largely dominated the game, they were stung by a goal by Vinicius Jr on the hour mark as well as an incredible goalkeeping performance by Thibaut Courtois, who kept the Reds at bay with a string of fine saves to deny the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Michael Owen referred to Lionel Messi’s quote to back up his controversial claim that Liverpool were still the best team in Europe despite their Champions League final defeat
The former Reds striker has been widely criticised for his post-match comments on BT Sport
Speaking post-match, Owen stated that failure in the final as well as missing out on the Premier League title did not hinder his claims that Liverpool were the best in Europe.
‘Real Madrid have got past them today, but you know as well as anyone that a one-off game is a one-off game,’ he told BT Sport.
‘I still think [Liverpool are] the most fearsome team in Europe and they’ve not got any of the big two trophies to show for it, that’ll be the biggest pill to swallow.’
Madrid defeated Liverpool to win the Champions League thanks to a goal from Vinicius Jr
Fine saves from Thibaut Courtois ensured the Reds were kept at bay throughout the final
The former Liverpool striker’s comments were widely condemned on social media but he now appears to have found an ally in Lionel Messi, who has echoed similar sentiments.
The former Barcelona and current Paris Saint-Germain star said: ‘The best team doesn’t always win. Real Madrid weren’t the best team in Europe this season, without taking any credit from them, even though they are the Champions League winners.’
After seeing the quotes on Twitter, Owen then quote-tweeted the reference before sharing a post stating: ‘And I got ridiculed for saying this. Enough said,’ before adding a shushing face.
Lionel Messi has since also claimed that Real Madrid are not the best side in Europe this year
Owen had also predicted that Liverpool would win the Paris final comfortably but his co-pundit on the evening Rio Ferdinand strongly disagreed with Owen’s post-match claims.
The former Manchester United defender claimed that trophies were the only currency to measure overall success and stature.
‘How can you say they’re the best team in Europe? They’ve just lost the league and the Champions League final,’ Ferdinand said.
‘I don’t think they’re the best team in Europe, I think you’ve got to win the biggest trophies to be considered the best.
Rio Ferdinand (right) strongly disagreed with his fellow pundit Owen’s stance
‘They’re an unbelievably exciting team, the points tally they’ve got in the league, the consistency in which they’ve played, they’ve competed in every single game available to them, but you’ve got to get your hands on the big trophies to be called outright the best team in Europe.
‘I don’t think they’ll be considered that and it would be disrespectful to Real Madrid to say that.
‘They’ve just beaten all our top three teams in our league, they’ve got rid of them and got their hands on that trophy.’
