Michael Owen burst onto the scene and reached some great heights in football almost right away. Indeed, he claimed the Ballon d'Or when he was still only 22 – only Ronaldo Nazario (21) won the prize at a younger age.
Over the course of his career, which saw him win the FA Cup and League Cup at Liverpool, as well as the Premier League with Manchester United, the English striker played with some fantastic footballers. Stars of England's Golden Generation, such as Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, and Frank Lampard, were all teammates.
There was one player, however, from a slightly older era who had a big impact on Owen. Talking to FourFourTwo in 2017, the former striker once spoke fondly of John Barnes, and even claimed he did not get enough credit for his efforts with the Three Lions.
Michael Owen Loved John Barnes
"It was mind-boggling how skilful he was"
Owen emerged at Liverpool as a teenager in the late 90s, scoring on his Premier League debut in May 1997. That was the same year Barnes left Anfield, meaning their paths only just crossed. Even so, the Ballon d'Or winner was a big fan of his brief teammate. He explained:
"I was fortunate enough to play with him a couple of times before he retired. He was a great player who didn’t get the credit for England despite winning loads of caps, but I watch videos of Liverpool playing and 99% of goals come from Barnes beating five players and passing to Ian Rush to tap in! It was mind-boggling how skilful he was. I never saw him give the ball away and he used to caress it around the pitch. A joy to watch."
Barnes won the league with Liverpool twice, and also won the FA Cup on two occasions but, like Owen, never got his hands on an international trophy with England. The winger played 79 times for the Three Lions, scoring 11 goals but in the eyes of many never managed to play as good his his country as he did at club level.
The late Sir Bobby Robson, who was Barnes' England manager for a period, famously described him as the "greatest enigma" of his managerial career. That said, his stunning solo effort vs Brazil is fondly remembered as one of the greatest Three Lions goals of all time.
Perhaps with that in mind, Owen felt as though his former teammate should have been given a little more credit for what he did with the national team.
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Barnes Also Left a Big Impression on Jamie Carragher
Felt he was one of Liverpool's all-time greats
Unsurprisingly, Owen isn't the only player of that generation to have been blown away by Barnes' talent. Jamie Carragher went as far as to say the iconic winger was the 'best finisher' he ever played with, even ahead of Owen:
"I’d say he’s the best finisher I’ve ever played with (including Torres, Fowler, Owen). Barnes never used to blast his shots - they’d just get placed right in the corner. You speak with the players from those great Liverpool sides and ask them who the best player they played with was and they all say John Barnes.”
Clearly, Barnes had all the talent in the world. It's just a shame he couldn't quite deliver for England with the same consistency.