Michael Owen defends career after Wayne Rooney comparison

Updated: 24 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

Michael Owen defends career after Wayne Rooney comparison

Photo: PA

Michael Owen has hit back at online debates comparing his teenage breakthrough to Wayne Rooney's, reminding fans just how explosive he was before injuries took their toll.

The former Liverpool striker, now 45, responded directly on X (formerly Twitter) after a post asked who was better at 17 - Owen or Rooney.

And Owen wasted no time laying out the numbers.

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…
— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) September 5, 2025

Record-Breaking Start, Cruel Decline

Owen became a household name at the 1998 World Cup when his stunning solo goal against Argentina announced him on the global stage.

By 22, he had already won the Ballon d'Or - becoming the last Briton to lift the award.

He remains the youngest player to score 100 Premier League goals (aged 23 years and 134 days) and twice won the Golden Boot as a teenager.

However, Owen has openly admitted his career was split in two - his electrifying Liverpool and Real Madrid years, followed by a decline blighted by injuries at Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Stoke City.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents Podcast, Owen revealed the frustration of being remembered for the wrong years.

People will have only seen me or remember me in the later years when I'm getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse.

The agony for me is that nobody remembers. Only a few people remember what I was like when I was ten and 12 and 15 and 18 and maybe up to 22.

Rooney vs Owen: The Debate

Both Owen and Rooney burst onto the Premier League stage as fearless teenagers - Owen at Liverpool, Rooney at Everton.

Rooney went on to become United's all-time leading scorer and finished his career with 313 goals in 764 appearances, compared to Owen's 223 in 483.

But whilst Rooney sustained brilliance into his 30s, Owen insists his teenage self was untouchable.

Was there another 18-year-old that was anywhere near me at 18? I was light years clear of anything in my age group, anything in England.

You can bring the next kid and the next kid and the next kid and the next one that scores ten goals and everybody's like, "Oh, it's the next Michael Owen."