Michael Owen has revealed the one player he believes was better than both Wayne Rooney and Lamine Yamal as a teenager.
The former Liverpool and England striker, who exploded onto the scene at 17, made the bold claim during an exclusive chat.
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Owen himself was a teenage sensation — winning the Premier League Golden Boot at 18 and later the 2001 Ballon d’Or at just 22 years old.
He recently reignited debate by suggesting that only Rooney could be compared to him as a young player, though he still rated himself slightly higher.
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When asked who was the best teenage footballer he’d ever seen, Owen didn’t hesitate to name Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario — known worldwide as R9.
“He was the youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever,” Owen said. “He’d probably strike me as the best teenager I’ve ever seen. A total phenomenon.”
Ronaldo burst onto the world stage as a teenager with PSV and Barcelona before winning his first Ballon d’Or at 21 while playing for Inter Milan in 1997.
Owen praised Ronaldo’s balance, power, and maturity at such a young age, calling him “unstoppable” before injuries derailed his career, reports Sports Bible.
Despite never winning the Champions League, Ronaldo remains one of football’s greatest ever players — and, in Owen’s eyes, the ultimate teenage prodigy.
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