JAKARTA - Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said that although Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe are amazing at the moment, he believes Michael Owen was a better player as a teenager.
The 18-year-old Barcelona star, Yamal, is one of the favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or.
If he wins the trophy, Yamal will be the youngest winner in history. Previously, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima's youngest winner won the Ballon d'Or at the age of 21 in 1997.
Mbappe, who is now 26 years old, is also among the award-winning nominations this year.
"Well, the other two players are chasing the Ballon d'Or and one of them has got it. So, I think we should respect the fact that Michael Owen has been selected as the best player in the world."
SEE ALSO:
-
| OLAHRAGA
Mohamed Salah Tantang Pemain Anyar Liverpool: Kami Juara Premier League
10 Agustus 2025, 19:10 -
| OLAHRAGA
Crystal Palace Jalani Sidang Arbitrase, Perjuangkan Tempat Liga Europa
09 Agustus 2025, 12:59
"I've played with him. He's an amazing teenager. So, I have to say Michael Owen (as best)."
"However, what I want to say are Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, wow, they are two amazing players," Gerrard told ESPN.
Gerrard and Owen were team-mates at Liverpool for six years before the assailant moved to Real Madrid in 2004.
Owen, who debuted at the age of 17 in 1996, has scored the most goals scored by a teenager in Premier League history - scoring 40 goals in 79 games before the turn of 20 in 1999.
He also holds the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in the Premier League in a calendar year thanks to 25 goals he scored in 1998.
Owen helped Liverpool win the League Cup, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup in the 2000/2001 season. At the age of 22, he became the first Briton to be awarded the Ballon d'Or since Kevin Keane in 1979.
Meanwhile, in this year's nominations, Yamal has scored 14 goals and contributed 22 assists in all competitions since making his debut for Barcelona at the age of 15 in 2023.
Then, Mbappe helped inspire the French National Team to achieve World Cup glory when it was 19 years old in 2018.
His 4-2 win over Croatia in the final saw him become the youngest goalscorer in the World Cup final since Pele.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
