Robbie Fowler once gave an honest admission on his ‘demoralizing’ England career

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Robbie Fowler was revered by Liverpool fans, but he never got his chance on the international stage with England.The former Reds striker, who was affectionately known as ‘God’, was one of the great strikers during his time on Merseyside, scoring 183 goals in 369 games for the club.During his time, Fowler was involved in the infamous treble-winning set-up under Gerard Houllier and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year twice in a row.But despite all this success in his career with Liverpool, the striker found himself omitted from the national team of that era, unable to get more than 26 caps on the international stage.It is quite unusual, given how prolific a goalscorer he was for the club at the time, and is something which the 50-year-old has been open about since retiring.28 Dec 1999: Robbie Fowler of Liverpool scores on his comeback from injury during the FA Carling Premiership match against Wimbledon at Anfield in Liverpool, England. Mandatory Credit: Alex Livesey /AllsportRobbie Fowler did not enjoy his England careerThe subject of his career, or lack thereof, for England came up during a podcast appearance in 2023 with Simon Jordan.The radio personality had asked the Scouser why he felt he was not picked for the squad despite his record for the club.Speaking on the Up Front podcast, Fowler revealed that he never really understood the fact that he was not played consistently for the team and could only believe that it was due to there being better players than himself in the manager’s view.READ MORE: Jamie Carragher once gave his honest opinion on whether England or Liverpool meant more to himHe explained: “The genuine answer is I don’t know because I mean I’d scored almost 100 goals before I got my first cap.

I think it’s extraordinary in all honesty I genuinely think it’s a little bit of a head wrecker.“What concerned me was the amount of goals I’d scored and still couldn’t get a look in now you think back and think it’s probably wrong, but… if you’re a manager and you’re comfortable with certain players in certain formations or certain players in certain roles then you’re going to go with that.“At the time it’s hard to take because you think I should be a given.”It is always difficult for players to come to terms with not starting for their national side, given how many hold it in high esteem.But during his limited appearances with the team, Fowler was open about how he did not enjoy his time and that he felt he was not given a fair chance.“I only started 11 games and out of the 11 games I only finished four of them so did I get a decent chance, probably not in all fairness,” he said.“I mean, people can make it out what they want. I can sit here and I can cry and I can pour milk on anything, but the fact of the matter is that’s what the managers were thinking, I don’t agree with it, and I still won’t agree with it.“I never enjoyed playing for England for the simple fact is I never played enough when I played.

When I played, of course, I did love playing for England, but I always felt I was a bit-part player.“I was going to go down there, and I was never ever going to play now, I think anyone will tell you if you’re going down there all the time and you’re in squads and you’re never really getting a look in.“It’s more than a bit demoralizing because the amount of goals I had scored from a club, so I’m not saying that you have to have a defined right to go and start any game for England.”Robbie Fowler cared about Liverpool over EnglandEven though he was unhappy that he was not given the best treatment during those years, it was not something that he was focused on at the time.The Toxteth-born striker, when asked about his Liverpool counterpart Michael Owen’s success in the England set-up, explained the difference between himself and his former teammate.READ MORE: Michael Owen once revealed just how close he really came to returning to LiverpoolIn the interview, Fowler believed from his perspective that Owen valued playing for the national side over his club, but he was the opposite.He said: “If you think of a footballing person and the way they are and the way people’s perception of him is. I think Michael’s perception was he thought more of England than his club.“But with mine, I thought more of the club than England and now it could have been the other way around if I had played more.”His career on the international stage was never going to be something that was thought of by the Liverpool fans, and when they look back on his career, all they will care about is how he performed under the Anfield lights.