Wayne Rooney makes new Michael Owen comment as 'better player' debate rages

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Wayne Rooney joked that Michael Owen was "clearly" a better footballer than he was at 17 in the most recent edition of Match of the Day . The Manchester United legend has been embroiled in a debate with the Liverpool icon as of late over who held more talent in their breakthrough year.

The debate initially kicked off when Owen told the Rio Ferdinand podcast : "I saw Wazza got asked who was the best out of us at the age of 17 or 18. And I did smile," before adding: "The only person you could possibly compare me to in our country is Wayne Rooney ."

Rooney, meanwhile, responded to the striker's take by explaining: "I think his comments are fair. Of course, he's going to back himself. I'd back myself.

"But, I'd never judge myself against Michael Owen because he's someone I actually looked up to and had the pleasure of playing alongside."

After the nation fiercely debated who was the better player, it appears as though Rooney has now settled the argument once and for all. Speaking on Match of the Day on Saturday evening alongside Rooney and Alan Shearer , in the wake of Bukayo Saka achieving his 100th goal involvement during Arsenal's 2-0 win over West Ham , Gabby Logan pulled up a chart of the players who have achieved the same feat as well as how many games it took them to do so.

The presenter added: "You’re just behind Michael Owen, he’s top of the pops there, for players with 100 Premier League goal involvements and how few games they’ve got there - 153 for Michael, 187 for you, 212 for Bukayo."

To which, Rooney replied: "Yeah, I think that clearly shows that Michael was a better player than I was at that age," before erupting with laughter. He then added: "But no, I think for Saka, he’s such an important player for Arsenal and for England.

"I think over the last three or four years, he’s probably been Arsenal’s most important player. He’s had a few injuries which have affected…them numbers would even better if that weren’t the case I believe. But yeah, he’s such an incredible player."

Declan Rice opened the scoring against his old club on Saturday afternoon with a well-placed strike past Alphonse Areola into the top left corner with 38 minutes played. Saka then doubled Arsenal's lead in the second-half, coolly converting from the spot after Jurrien Timber was brought down in the West Ham box.

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Both Rooney and Owen enjoyed incredible playing careers in the Premier League. Rooney currently sits third in the Premier League's tally of all-time top scorers with 208 goals to his name with Everton and Manchester United , with Shearer and Harry Kane ahead of him with 260 and 213 respectively.

Owen, meanwhile, failed to make it into the top 10, with 150 goals across his incredible career with Liverpool , Newcastle United , Manchester United, and Stoke City .

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.