'He was incredible' - Steven Gerrard insists Michael Owen was a better teenage star than Lamine Yamal or Kylian Mbappe as 2025 Ballon d'Or battle heats up

As the race for the 2025 Ballon d'Or heats up, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have hopefuls in the race with Mbappe and Yamal among the nominees. Yamal is just 18 and hoping to become the youngest player ever to win the Golden Ball. In 1997, Ronaldo won the award at the age of 21.

Gerrard, though, believes his former club-mate Owen was even better than both nominees when he was a teenager. The former England striker won the Ballon d'Or in 1999, at the age of just 22, and scored 40 goals in 79 games before turning 20.

Gerrard told ESPN: "Well, the other two are chasing the Ballon d'Or and one's got one. So I think you'd have to respect the fact that Michael Owen has been voted the best player in the world.

"I played with him. He was an incredible teenager. So I'd have to say Michael Owen [as the best]. But what I would say is: Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, wow, they're two incredible players."

The Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place on September 22 in Paris.