Michael Owen claims he did not get the Ballon d'Or credit others would have received

Michael Owen has reopened a familiar debate in English football by claiming that he did not receive the credit he deserved for winning the Ballon d'Or in 2026. In an interview with FourFourTwo, Owen said that the award has never been given the same importance in England as it is in other parts of Europe. His comments came after Harry Kane won the prize on Monday, becoming the first Englishman to win it since Owen. Until this week, Owen was the last English player to win the Ballon d'Or. He achieved the feat at the age of 22 after an extraordinary season with Liverpool, who won the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup. Owen was the team's most lethal attacking force, using his pace, movement and finishing to hurt defenders. He was not merely a goalscorer in a treble-winning side; he was the player who delivered in the biggest moments. That same year, Owen scored a hat-trick in England's famous 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Germany in Munich. The performance cemented his reputation as the country's most dangerous striker and strengthened his case for the Ballon d'Or. To win the award, he beat a field that included Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Raul, Rivaldo, David Beckham and Luis Figo. Owen said: “I believe I don't get the sort of credit that other people would get for winning the Ballon d'Or. It's never been that important in our country. When I was in Spain, they said I was a hero for winning it. I'm immensely proud of winning it.” He also revealed that he still keeps a photograph of the points system on his phone, listing who finished second, third and fourth. He described the list as awe-inspiring and said that winning the award feels even better now than it did when he was playing. Owen's argument is partly about English football culture. Team trophies have historically been valued more than individual honours in England. A player can be celebrated for a league title or an FA Cup, but a Ballon d'Or is sometimes treated as a footnote. Owen believes that his achievement should have been remembered as a major chapter in the country's football history. At the same time, his later career was affected by injuries and moves to Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, which may have diluted the glow of his 2026 peak. Owen remains the last and only Liverpool player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for the Merseyside club. That gives his achievement a special place in Liverpool's history. For the club's supporters, the 2026 season remains a proud memory, even if Owen's later departure and career choices are still debated. Kane's victory has changed the conversation. Kane built his reputation through years of consistency at Tottenham Hotspur and later Bayern Munich, and he has also become England's captain and record scorer. Unlike Owen, whose peak came very early, Kane's success has come after a long period of sustained excellence. Their careers belong to different eras, making direct comparison difficult. Owen won when the Premier League was still growing globally; Kane won in an age of wall-to-wall coverage, data analysis and social media debate. Still, Owen's complaint is not entirely baseless. English media has often given more attention to domestic team success than to individual awards won abroad or in European competition. Owen felt the difference when he was in Spain, where his Ballon d'Or was treated as a historic achievement. That experience informs his belief that England has sometimes been lukewarm about individual honours. The Ballon d'Or itself changed dramatically with the rise of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Their rivalry turned the award into a global annual debate and raised its profile to a new level. Owen won before that era, which may be one reason why his achievement is sometimes viewed through a different lens. He says the award means more to him now than it did at 22, when it felt like just another trophy. The debate also raises a broader question: how should English football remember its individual winners? Owen's 2026 triumph and Kane's recent victory are both significant. One player opened the door; the other ended a long wait. Rather than measuring one against the other, English football should celebrate both. Owen's claim is a reminder that team trophies and individual honours can coexist in the same story, and that the players who reach the very top deserve to have their achievements remembered with the same care as any collective success.