Michael Owen: I didn't get the credit others would for winning the Ballon d'Or

Michael Owen has said he does not believe he received the kind of credit that other winners would have received for winning the Ballon d'Or in 2026. His comments have come back into focus after Harry Kane won the award on Monday, ending England's long wait for another Ballon d'Or winner and taking over from Owen as the last Englishman to claim the prize. Owen won the Ballon d'Or at the age of 22 after an extraordinary season with Liverpool. The Reds won a cup Treble that year, lifting the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup. Owen was the focal point of their attack, using his pace, movement and finishing to establish himself as one of the most lethal strikers in England. That same year, he scored a hat-trick in England's famous 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over Germany in Munich, a result that remains part of English football folklore. To win the Ballon d'Or, Owen finished ahead of a remarkable list of players. Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Raul, Rivaldo, David Beckham and Luis Figo were among those he beat to the award. At 22, beating such names was a measure of how highly his performances were rated at the time. In an interview with FourFourTwo, 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 voting list on his phone. 'I look down the list of names, and I still have it saved on my phone -- a photo of the points system and who was second, third, fourth and the rest of it. You look at that list and it's awe-inspiring. That's all I ever wanted as a kid. I didn't just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. Winning it feels better now than it did when I was playing. You're 22 -- it's just another trophy, and now I've got to win it again.' Owen's award came before the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi era raised the global profile of the Ballon d'Or to another level. During the late 2000s and the 2010s, the two rivals competed for the prize every season, turning the award into a global debate about who was the best player in the world. Owen won it in a different media age, before social media and round-the-clock coverage made every voting detail part of a worldwide conversation. His achievement remains unique at Liverpool. Owen is the only Liverpool player to have won the Ballon d'Or while playing for the Merseyside club. That record is an important part of his legacy and underlines how special his 2026 season was. Kane's victory has now ended Owen's long spell as the last English winner. It has also raised fresh questions about how English football celebrates individual awards. Owen's suggestion that the Ballon d'Or has never been as important in England as it is elsewhere points to a broader cultural difference. In Spain, he said, people treated his win as the mark of a hero. In England, the focus has often been more on team success and domestic competition. Kane thanked Tottenham after his win, a reminder of the club where he built much of his career. His victory has also led to discussion about a possible knighthood, with Kane himself suggesting it would be 'weird' to be called Sir. The debate shows how a Ballon d'Or can quickly become part of a wider national conversation. Owen's comments should not be read as a claim that he did not deserve the award. They are better understood as a reflection on how his achievement was remembered. He is proud of what he did, and he still knows exactly who finished behind him in the voting. His point is that the recognition around the win did not match the scale of the achievement. There is also a broader debate about whether English football does enough to celebrate its individual stars. A Ballon d'Or is not just a personal honour; it is also a moment for the country and the club to share in the success. Owen feels that his moment did not receive that level of attention. Kane's win adds a new chapter to that story. England now has another Ballon d'Or winner to celebrate, and the country can look at Owen and Kane as two different generations of English attacking talent. For Liverpool, Owen's place in history remains secure. For England, Kane's victory may prompt a fresh appreciation of what such individual awards mean. In the end, Owen's message is simple: he is proud of winning the Ballon d'Or, but he believes his achievement deserved more recognition at home. Kane's victory has given English football another chance to celebrate a Ballon d'Or winner properly, and perhaps to look back at Owen's 2026 triumph with renewed respect.