Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has shared his thoughts on Michael Owen's comments about Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane. He labeled it 'disrespectful' and urged Owen to show some modesty.
Owen appeared on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast on September 3 and claimed that he was much better than Rooney as a teenager. The 2001 Ballon d'Or highlighted his stats as a teenager for Liverpool. Later, BBC Match of the Day asked who is better between Rooney and Owen in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Owen replied:
@BBCMOTD At 17 I scored 18 PL goals (winning the Golden Boot), Wazza scored 6. At 18 I again scored 18 goals (again winning the Golden Boot and coming 4th in The Ballon d’Or), Wazza scored 9. In our opening 7 seasons, Wazza didn’t outscore me once (117 goals v 80). In which time I became
Moreover, in the aforementioned interview, Owen slammed Harry Kane for moving to Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur, labeling his decision "nuts".
Now, on his podcast Fozcast, former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has said:
"It is a little bit disrespectful, without a doubt. If you're listening to that as a Bayern Munich fan, you're saying, 'Hang on a minute, Michael, we're one of the biggest football clubs in the world.'
"I think it's definitely more aimed at the league. If he (Kane) had stayed in England, he would have been very much on his way to breaking that Alan Shearer record. I understand it, but just leave it. You haven't got to come for him, have you?"
About Owen's comparisons with Rooney, Foster said:
"There were a lot of things coming out of that interview, like the comparisons with Wayne Rooney and who was the best at 17 years old. He (Owen) was like nothing you've ever seen before. Don't get me wrong, Wayne Rooney was an absolute beast, but numbers-wise, Michael Owen was on a different planet."
"The only difference is that Wayne Rooney, though, went on and did that in the Premier League for another 12, 13 or 14 years. There's not much modesty there [from Owen] basically. I think with the career that he's had, just enjoy it mate, you've earned it."
Owen scored 223 goals in 483 club games for the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. Meanwhile, Rooney is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals and 142 assists in 559 games.
Harry Kane responds to former Manchester United striker Michael Owen's comments
Harry Kane came through Tottenham Hotspur's academy and became their all-time top scorer with 280 goals and 63 assists in 435 games. He has also scored 213 goals in the Premier League and sits just 47 goals behind Alan Shearer at the top of the chart.
Michael Owen believes Kane should have stayed at Spurs and gone for Shearer's record. However, the England captain has responded to the former Manchester United striker, saying (via ESPN):
"I heard it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I've spent a bit of time with him [Owen] but don't know him well. Obviously he is a Premier League great and an England great as well so I'll respect him as a person. But ultimately, as he will know, everyone's career is different -- everyone's decisions and motivations are different."
"I know he was insinuating I went just for the trophy but it was to be at the highest level for as long as possible and I'm really happy in that sense of playing big games, title runs, big Champions League matches, Club World Cup quarterfinal. I feel I'm improving as a player, I'm pushing my limits as a player in terms of goalscoring and just improving. It's hard not to hear things these days but the decisions are best for me and I'm really happy that I made that decision and very happy at Bayern Munich now."Kane has scored 91 goals and provided 28 assists in 100 games for Bayern, winning the Bundesliga and the Franz Beckenbauer SuperCup.
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Aditya Singh
Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.
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