Michael Owen says he was better than Rooney at 17

Michael Owen reignited a longrunning football debate this week by insisting he was the better player at age 17 than Wayne Rooney, while using a podcast appearance to reflect on his own career, injuries and Manchester United's ability to nurture top talent. Owen made the claim in response to a social media post asking who was better at 17, and expanded on his views during an interview on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

Owen pointed to his early statistics as proof. "At 17 I scored 18 Premier League goals winning the Golden Boot," he wrote on social media, adding that he repeated the feat at 18 and finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or voting. He noted that in the opening seven seasons of their careers he outscored Rooney, citing figures of 117 goals to Rooney's 80 for that period. Owen also reminded listeners that he won the Ballon d'Or at 22 and remains one of the youngest recipients of the award.

At the same time, Owen acknowledged the broader arc of their careers. "Injuries hindered me from then on while he sustained his level. Therefore, he will go down as a better player than me," he said, according to the podcast. Owen — whose club career included standout years at...