Wayne Rooney comparison provokes extraordinary rant from Michael Owen as ex-Liverpool & Real Madrid striker insists he was better than former England team-mate

Owen and Rooney had similar beginnings en route to becoming Premier League legends, having both burst onto the scene as teenagers for Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton respectively. Owen made his league debut for Liverpool aged just 17, scoring in a narrow 2-1 defeat against Wimbledon in May 1997, whereas Rooney made his bow as a 16-year-old for Everton in August 2002. He would then go on to score his maiden league goal two months later in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, then aged 17.

And such is the similarity between Owen and Rooney that BBC's Match of the Day took to X to ask football supporters who was better at the age of 17. However, as fans quickly fired up social media to cast their vote, Owen himself was among the replies as the ex-Manchester United forward issued a strong tirade in defence of his record as a teenager.

Commenting on the BBC's post, Owen wrote: "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..."

The similarities between Owen and Rooney do not stop at club level, with both forwards having scored as a teenagers for England as well. After netting at the age of 17 years and 317 days old in a 2-1 win over Macedonia in September 2003, Rooney became England's then-youngest goalscorer - surpassing Owen's record after he netted against Romania aged 18 years and 190 days old in June 1998.

England are next in action when they host Andorra in a World Cup qualifier at Villa Park on Saturday. Meanwhile, Owen's former clubs Liverpool and Real Madrid - who have both won their opening three league games in the Premier League and La Liga respectively - will face off in the Champions League at Anfield on November 4.