Emile Heskey reflects on the “Little and Large” telepathy that defined his legendary Liverpool partnership with Michael Owen.
Liverpool have had a plethora of great strikers in their history that have become Anfield legends. Perhaps one of the most underrated is Emile Heskey, who registered 90 goal contributions in 223 appearances for the Reds.
The 48-year-old was involved in Gerard Houllier’s treble campaign in 2001, with him and soon-to-be Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen being deadly in front of goal.
In an interview with Flashscore, Heskey claimed Owen and he were ‘polar opposites’, but he enjoyed playing with him the most.
“He was phenomenal. But we just clicked. You know when something just works.”
Owen and Heskey’s Anfield connection
Heskey made a name for himself coming through Leicester City’s academy and continued to shine in the first team.
The Anfield outfit were the first to launch a bid for the exciting forward, as they paid £11 million for a striker they had been chasing for four years.
At the time, Liverpool had two academy graduates as their forward options. Robbie Fowler had cemented himself as a legend at this stage, but injuries were affecting his game time.
While Owen was coming off the back of an 18-goal league campaign in 1998/99 and was viewed as the next star from Melwood’s ‘School of Excellence’.
When the signing of Heskey was complete, the French manager had been interested since a youth tournament where the pair played up top for England, where he said he was “particularly impressed with both Emile and Michael.”
The duo were a great duo on Merseyside for four years before they both left when Rafael Benitez arrived. Owen moved to Real Madrid while Heskey signed for Birmingham City.
The Leicester academy graduate said their on-pitch relationship came naturally during their years in Red.
“We didn’t need to try hard; we didn’t need to do anything. It just worked, and we worked off each other. We were polar opposites, so it just fitted really, really good.”
Liverpool’s famous strike partnerships
The pair won the treble in 2001, but are often overlooked for several reasons, with the main being Owen’s decision to move to Liverpool’s fierce rivals, Manchester United, in 2009.
From the 70s, Kevin Keegan and John Toshack established a bond under the legendary managers Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, becoming one of the best little-and-large strike forces.
In the 80s, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush understood each other perfectly as they helped the Reds lift four league titles and two European Cups, as well as a host of other domestic honours.
Under Brendan Rodgers, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge became the league’s new deadly duo. Although they never won any silverware, they are an iconic partnership during Liverpool’s turbulent years.
In the modern day under Arne Slot, there is a hope that Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike can continue this long line of succession and bring more glory days to Anfield Road.
New partnerships will continue to emerge at Liverpool, but Owen and Heskey remain one of the most effective duos in the club’s modern era.
