Michael Owen Unleashes Brutal Attack on Wayne Rooney

Michael Owen has angrily hit back at a social media comparison between himself and his former England and Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney.

The former Liverpool forward didn't hold back when responding to an X post from Match of the Day, which asked the question: "Who was the superior player at 17 years old, Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney?"

Owen passionately defended his record with an extensive statistical breakdown comparing his achievements to Rooney's, highlighting his accomplishments and dismissing any notion that Rooney was the better teenage talent.

"At 17, I netted 18 Premier League goals (claiming the Golden Boot), Wazza managed six. At 18, I once again scored 18 goals (securing another Golden Boot and finishing fourth in Ballon d'Or voting), Wazza netted nine," Owen posted on X. "During our first seven seasons, Wazza never outscored me (117 goals versus 80). During that period, I became the second youngest Ballon d'Or recipient in history.

"Injuries hampered me from that point forward while he maintained his performance level. Consequently, he'll be remembered as the superior player overall. But at 17 years old, come on......"

Owen, who remains the most recent English player to claim the Ballon d'Or after winning it in 2001, definitely makes a valid argument regarding his exceptional goalscoring record as a teenage prodigy. Nevertheless, Rooney's raw, instinctive playing style will probably connect more with the majority of English fans.

Injuries stopped Owen from achieving Rooney's career longevity, but he still concluded his playing days with an impressive 150 goals in 326 Premier League appearances. Rooney managed 208 goals in the league but required 491 matches to achieve that figure.

Both were extraordinary talents who emerged as teenagers, though Rooney was the more versatile and well-rounded attacker—despite Owen being the superior goalscorer.