Michael Owen is valuing his own career and believes his achievements at Liverpool underestimate his youth and celebrates Wayne Rooney’s accomplishments
Michael Owen confidently states that he is a better young man than Wayne Rooney. Owen was a Liverpool teen phenomenon, and began consistently scoring goals at the age of 17.
The English striker was prolific in his early days with the Reds, who enjoyed the best years of his career. Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for the club over eight years, winning Barondoor in 2001 as the 22-year-old.
He brought that form to international football and registered 40 goals in England’s 89 appearances. This is a record that helps you compare it to Rooney. The Manchester United legend began in Everton, where he entered the scene as an exciting, raw, 16-year-old talent.
Rooney, as an 18-year-old, earned a £25 million move to United, becoming the club’s record-breaking goal scorer. He also comfortably passed Owen’s tally of 150 Premier League goals, reaching 208, his number reached 53 from 120 games.
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Both were undoubtedly great English strikers, but the question of who was superior at a young age has been raised on social media. The match that day raised the question at X: “Who was the better player, 17-year-old Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney?”
Owen replied: “At the age of 17 he scored 18 goals (earned Golden Boots), and Watza scored 6.
“At that time I was the second youngest Barondoor or winner ever. The injury hindered me while he kept the level.
Owen joined Real Madrid in 2004, but spent only a year in Spain, but later influenced his career, taking him to Newcastle, United and Stoke. He expanded his career rating this week on the Rio Ferdinand Presents Podcast.
“Are you another 18 years old near me at 18? I had forgotten something lighter in my age group.
“I joined the Liverpool team and won the Golden Boots at the age of 17. Forget all the achievements. I’ve never won two Golden Boots in the Premier League as a 17- and 18-year-old.”
He added: “I divided my career into two, because I almost never loved it because Liverpool and Madrid, and then I wasn’t the same. I loved it.
“But I’m not me. I’m not me. I know what I was when I was 18. I know what I was when I was 30.
“Can’t you change your name and think about something and call something else? I don’t want you to remember me like this.
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