Wayne Rooney vs Michael Owen: Man Utd & England legend joins 'better at 17 debate' & responds to 'boring' accusations levelled at ex-team-mate

Both men were senior stars by that point, with breakthroughs being made on Merseyside with Everton and Liverpool respectively. They would go on to star for club and country, with Owen claiming the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2021.

Rooney is Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer and briefly held the same record with England until Harry Kane came along and raised that bar. He made 120 appearances for the Three Lions and is considered to be one the most naturally gifted players that English football has ever produced.

Owen has, however, claimed that he was better when first starting out, posting on social media in response to a probing question from the Match of the Day account on X: “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 man on the other side of that debate has said on The Wayne Rooney Show podcast: “I think his comments are fair. Of course, he's going to back himself. I'd back myself. I completely understand what he's saying. But we're two completely different footballers - different styles, different techniques. Michael Owen, for a three or four-year period, was probably the best centre-forward in the world. I think people do forget actually how good he was.

“It's hard to argue against anyone coming up against Michael Owen 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 going back into midfield. But, I'd never judge myself against Michael Owen because he's someone I actually looked up to and had the pleasure of playing alongside [for England and Manchester United].”

Rooney added on Owen’s reputation for being a little boring away from the field: “He is one of the funniest people you'll meet. I hope he just gets that out because everyone who played with him, we know what a good lad he is, and sometimes that doesn't always come across.”

Owen scored 40 goals for England through 89 appearances, with unfortunate injuries preventing him from enhancing that record. He retired in 2013 having represented Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke at club level.