Robbie Fowler has claimed that he thinks he was a better striker than Michael Owen, with the two attackers becoming superstars for Liverpool.
The duo played close to 100 games with each other as Owen and Fowler led Liverpool to the 2001 FA Cup against Arsenal, though the latter moved that summer to Leeds United.
And now, speaking on the Up Front podcast, Fowler has claimed that he always believed he was a better striker than Owen, despite his counterpart winning the Ballon d’Or.
Fowler said: “I always thought I was better than Michael to be honest with you, even when we were coming through. I’m not sitting here being egotistical or derogatory towards Michael.
“I think the only thing, Michael was quicker than me, but I think every other element of being a striker I genuinely think I was better. Now Michael can sit here and say the same thing but that’s my opinion, that’s my self-confidence.
“I was better in every aspect of being a striker. That might come across as egotistical but I get on very well with Michael in all honesty and he’ll sit and say the same thing, because he has that confidence.”
Michael Owen might still edge out Robbie Fowler in the ‘best striker’ debate
There’s no denying that Liverpool struck gold with both Owen and Fowler, two strikers that would go on to define the Premier League’s early years and inspire an entire generation after they had left Anfield.
Yet in the playground conversation of which striker was the best of the two, Owen could still edge out Fowler, given what the attacker managed to achieve on a personal level.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid star remains the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or, a feat that might take a few years to be beaten.
And whilst injuries plagued his career, Owen’s style of play was one of the most dangerous in all of Europe, with the attacker’s speed still causing nightmares for his opponents some 20 years on from his peak.
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