Steven Gerrard has claimed that former Liverpool teammate Michael Owen was a more talented teenager than Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal.
The Liverpool legend made the comparison while discussing the 2025 Ballon d’Or race, in which Yamal is considered a leading contender after a stellar season in Spain.
Yamal, who is of Moroccan and Equatorial Guinean descent, has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Barcelona, producing performances that have drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi.
At just 18, he is also nominated for the Kopa Trophy, an award many expect him to win comfortably. A Ballon d’Or triumph would make him the first player in nearly 70 years to win the prize before turning 21.
Speaking to ESPN, Gerrard stressed the need to respect Owen’s achievements at the same age.
“Michael Owen has been voted the best player in the world. I played with him — he was an incredible teenager. So I’d have to say Michael Owen. But Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, wow, they’re two incredible players,” he said.
Gerrard’s stance comes despite Yamal’s dazzling displays in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, where he emerged as one of Europe’s most dangerous attackers.
Yet, the former England captain pointed to Owen’s historic 2001 Ballon d’Or win, when the striker edged Real Madrid legend Raúl and Bayern Munich icon Oliver Kahn.
That season, Owen fired Liverpool to a memorable cup treble, lifting the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup, while scoring 24 goals across all competitions.
His triumph made him only the fourth Englishman to claim the award, following Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, and Kevin Keegan — the latter winning it in consecutive years in 1978 and 1979.
