Owen and Shearer: Handshakes, Stares… and a Cold War That Won’t Thaw

Some grudges never truly leave the tunnel. Michael Owen has revealed that, even now, he and Alan Shearer still haven’t properly talked since their very public spat in 2019 — handshakes, yes; conversations, no. For Newcastle United supporters, Shearer remains untouchable royalty; Owen, despite his pedigree, is a far tougher sell on Tyneside.

How we got here: Villa Park, 2009 and a season that sank

Rewind to the final day of the 2008–09 campaign. Newcastle went to Aston Villa needing a result to dodge the drop. Caretaker boss Shearer wanted Owen from the off; Owen, just back from injury, felt he couldn’t give 90 and suggested a cameo if needed. He came on for the last 25 minutes, Newcastle lost 1-0, and down they went. Shearer hasn’t returned to the dugout since. The fallout began there.

‘Scapegoat’ claims and the war of words in 2019

A decade on, Owen told talkSPORT he never ducked the occasion, arguing he advised a bench role to be effective late on — hardly the act of a shirker, he said. He felt Shearer misread it and painted him as the fall guy for relegation. The nuance was lost, the temperature rose, and the rift widened.

The book that lit the blue touch paper

Then came Owen’s 2019 autobiography, where he admitted he regretted the move to Newcastle after leaving Real Madrid for £16m back in 2005. He suggested it was a step down from a career perspective, recalled early friction with sections of the fanbase after an injury, and questioned the club’s standing beyond its colossal support and stadium. On Tyneside, those passages landed like a flare in a crowded box.

Twitter jabs: wages, loyalty and a near-move claim

Shearer clipped a line where Owen said he’d “hated” the final years of his career, adding a pointed nudge about six-figure weekly wages. Owen countered by hinting Shearer had once been close to joining Liverpool after being benched by Sir Bobby Robson. Gary Lineker called it “awkward”. That was putting it mildly.

2021: a stalemate in plain sight

In 2021, Owen said the pair hadn’t made peace but would likely shake hands and agree to disagree if they were sat in the same room. He insisted he liked Shearer, yet argued the Newcastle legend needed someone to blame for 2009 — and he became the lightning rod.

2025: handshakes only, the silence holds

Fast-forward to December 2025. Speaking on the Midnite Sports YouTube channel, Owen revealed the dynamic hasn’t shifted: the two exchange pleasantries and a shake when they cross paths on Premier League duty, but that’s it. “We’re both stubborn,” he admitted. He says he still likes Shearer — but stands by his view that Shearer was wrong to question his willingness to play at Villa Park.

The pundit’s verdict

Strip away the noise and the story reads like classic football mythology: one man is the club’s eternal icon, the other is the marquee signing whose time never truly clicked. Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, is woven into Newcastle’s fabric. Owen’s numbers — 30 goals in 79 games — hint at promise undermined by injuries and an abiding sense he’d rather have been elsewhere. It’s little wonder Toon sentiment is cast in black and white.

Could they make peace? Of course. Will they? Not while pride’s in play. Until then, expect more frost than warmth when the camera’s red light goes on. If you’re weighing up form, narrative and noise before the next big Toon day out, our best betting sites hub is a handy starting point — but remember, emotion rarely follows the odds.

One last note: Owen’s move to Manchester United in 2009 — inheriting the No.7 after Cristiano Ronaldo — only hardened perceptions on Tyneside. Fairly or not, that sealed the lens through which many Newcastle fans still view him. And so we remain where we started: two former team-mates, civil but distant, locked in a stalemate that may never need a winner.