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Michael Owen has caused a bit of a stir this week, but what does Wayne Rooney think of his former England teammate’s comments?
They say that the top two inches are what matters most in elite level sport with only subtle technical differences between the good and the best.
One prime example is United great Wayne Rooney who, from the moment he made his Everton debut, was clearly no ordinary 16-year old. The same compliment can be made of Michael Owen who, at 17, was arguably one of Europe’s most deadly strikers and whose pace caused defenders across England and beyond to have sleepless nights. What they did have in common was no shortage of confidence.
Michael Owen v Wayne Rooney - what have they said?
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast this week, Owen has made the headlines with how highly he rated himself as a teenager, even rubbishing any claims that Rooney was fit to lace his boots in a response to a post on X by Match of the Day.
Owen’s argument that goals should be the only unit of measurement fit his narrative even if it is one that is slightly blinkered in his favour: “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 the 2nd youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever. Injuries hindered me from then on while he sustained his level. Therefore, he’ll go down as a better player than me. But, at 17, please……”
Rooney, speaking on his own The Wayne Rooney podcast, was considerably more pragmatic and self-aware, choosing a more balanced approach to comparing the two former England teenage sensations.
“Yeah, no, listen, me and Michael are very different players, different attributes and Michael Owen at 17 or 18 was incredible. I used to go out on the street and pretend to be him, pretend to be Michael Owen and even though he played for Liverpool. But yeah, so what he's saying, I completely understand what he's saying,” he said.
“But we're two completely different footballers in different styles, different techniques and Michael Owen, for a three, four year period was probably the best centre-forward in the world. And it's hard to argue against anyone coming up against Michael Owen. And then unfortunately, he did get his injuries and he probably couldn't adapt his game, maybe as well as I could in playing from the side or playing going back into my field.
“And so yeah, I think his comment are fair. I think, of course, he's going back to himself, back to myself. But I never judge myself against Michael Owen because he's someone I actually looked up to and had the pleasure of playing alongside.”
Who was the better striker - Rooney or Owen?
So, who was the better player in their teenage years? In short, the answer is entirely subjective. What might not help Owen’s claim is that he isn’t one to hold back when praising himself, self-praise is no praise and all that. In terms of numbers, Owen has a point, not many 17/18 year olds have finished as top goalscorers for their clubs in a top five league.
Erling Haaland took a few years to get into the Bundesliga despite his impressive record but Kylian Mbappe when he was at Monaco blows Owen out the water with a similar style of play in terms of the initial reliance on his pace, the France international is also a better dribbler of the ball than his English couterpart.
Rooney is right but is also too humble. What he doesn’t mention is that he spent his first two years playing for Everton in a relegation threatened side. This is what makes any comparison in terms of goals immediately unfair. Owen, on the other hand, had Robbie Fowler, Karl Heinz-Reidle and Stan Collymore as partners and Steve McManaman and John Barnes supplying the ammunition.
They were completely different players, but made equally as big an impact at their respective clubs. That Rooney got 17 goals and six assists at 18 in his first season at Man Utd with a big price tag on his back suggests that with a level playing field he could have matched Owen’s return. Could Owen have carried Everton the way that Rooney did?
The reality though, is that neither could lace the boots of the original Ronaldo as a teenager. A player who was scoring a goal a game in Brazil’s Serie A at 16 and continued to do the same every season at PSV Eindhoven and then Barcelona throughout his teenage years. Injuries blunted Owen’s ability, but Ronaldo fought through the same and worse on numerous occasions to still cause carnage. He also doesn’t need to boast to be appreciated.
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