Michael Owen
When Owen burst on to the scene as a 17-year-old it was clear to see that the club were in possession of the best young striker in the country. Over the following years he showed that the prophecy would not go unfulfilled as he notched up an amazing 158 goals in 297 appearances for the club in a seven year spell that was just starting to succumb to the injuries that would eventually rob him of his career. Just two years after Owen moved on Liverpool recorded their first ever Champions League victory when they overturned AC Milan that night in Istanbul. Silver linings.
Robbie Fowler
During the 90s it was impossible to imagine that the man referred to as ‘God’ would ever leave Anfield, but in 2001 he moved to Premier League rivals Leeds United at just 26 years old. What seemed unfathomable at time actually had very little impact on the Reds as club recorded the aforementioned treble. Meanwhile, Fowler lost his goalscoring touch. After bagging 171 goals in 330 games for the Reds, he could only muster another 69 in 185 appearances for every other club he went on to, including a second spell at Liverpool.