Michael Owen says his Ballon d'Or win was undervalued in England

Michael Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, has said his achievement was not sufficiently appreciated. The former England striker said the award received too little attention in his home country, while in Spain he was called a hero after the victory.

Owen said he was proud of winning the Ballon d'Or. He said he keeps a picture on his phone of the voting results, which lists the names of the players who finished second, third and in the following places.

“Looking at that list takes your breath away. It was everything I wanted as a child. I didn’t just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. The victory brings me more joy now than it did when I was playing. At 22, it was just the next trophy you had to win,” Owen said, according to FourFourTwo.

According to the report, another English footballer, Harry Kane, won the Ballon d'Or in 2026.