Alan Shearer awkwardly put on the spot when asked about ex-Liverpool player Michael Owen

Micah Richards was left in fits of laughter when Gary Lineker put Alan Shearer on the spot to sing the praises of Michael Owen , despite their well-known feud.

The pair share a colorful history, having been teammates for both England and Newcastle during Shearer's final professional season in 2005/06. They were reunited in 2009 when Shearer took over as Newcastle's temporary manager for the last eight matches of the Premier League season, with the team fighting against relegation.

The tension between the former England forwards flared up on the last day of the 2008/09 season and has persisted ever since. Owen had told Shearer that he wasn't fit enough to play a full 90 minutes in an away game against Aston Villa, with Newcastle needing to avoid defeat to dodge relegation.

• Liverpool injury latest and return dates for Alisson, Alexis Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa
• Liverpool set to match Man Utd and Arsenal as huge $500m deal edges closer

Despite being subbed on for the final 25 minutes, Newcastle still fell to a 1-0 loss, confirming their humiliating drop into the Championship. Despite exchanges between the pair since that fateful day, Shearer found himself discussing his former teammate on a new episode of The Rest is Football podcast.

A fan wrote into the show to ask Shearer, Lineker, and Richards just how good former Ballon d'Or winner Owen was at his peak, leading to some light-hearted ribbing of the MOTD pundit.

Gary Lineker couldn't resist a smirk as he handed over to Alan Shearer, quipping: "I know you love Michael a lot so I'll leave this one with you, Alan."

The joke ignited laughter from Micah Richards, while Shearer was quick to praise Michael Owen's talent, especially recalling the time they played together. "I'm never ever against his ability, I played with him remember, the Argentina game, when he scored that goal, bloody hell man," said the Premier League's record scorer.

Richards kept the playful jabs coming: "He's started sweating, come on, Al, talk us through your mate," which led to an equally witty reply from Shearer: "What do you want me to say?" He jokingly criticized Owen's time at Newcastle: "He was a brilliant center-forward, just not at Newcastle."

This banter unfolded against a history of friction, notably dating back to a 2019 clash on Twitter when Owen's autobiography prompted an exchange. Shearer hit back at a controversial statement from Owen by posting a video where Owen admitted, "I hated it, I couldn't wait to retire."

Shearer humorously commented: "Yes Michael, we thought that also, whilst on £120k a week..."

During the feud, Owen appeared on talkSPORT in 2019 to voice his remorse about the falling out and to clear the air regarding Shearer, stating: "It is sad. I have got no problem with Alan. I like the guy, we have great history, but sadly he has this view of myself that I didn't want to play in this game. I know why he has come to this conclusion but come on. I said to Alan, 'I'll do whatever you want'."