“There’s not much modesty” - Ex-Manchester United teammate calls out Michael Owen for being ‘disrespectful’ in chat about Rooney and Kane

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has shared his thoughts on Michael Owen's comments about Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane. He labeled it 'disrespectful' and urged Owen to show some modesty.

Owen appeared on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast on September 3 and claimed that he was much better than Rooney as a teenager. The 2001 Ballon d'Or highlighted his stats as a teenager for Liverpool. Later, BBC Match of the Day asked who is better between Rooney and Owen in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Owen replied:

Michael Owen

@themichaelowen

@BBCMOTD At 17 I scored 18 PL goals (winning the Golden Boot), Wazza scored 6. At 18 I again scored 18 goals (again winning the Golden Boot and coming 4th in The Ballon d’Or), Wazza scored 9. In our opening 7 seasons, Wazza didn’t outscore me once (117 goals v 80). In which time I became

Moreover, in the aforementioned interview, Owen slammed Harry Kane for moving to Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur, labeling his decision "nuts".

Now, on his podcast Fozcast, former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has said:

"It is a little bit disrespectful, without a doubt. If you're listening to that as a Bayern Munich fan, you're saying, 'Hang on a minute, Michael, we're one of the biggest football clubs in the world.'

"I think it's definitely more aimed at the league. If he (Kane) had stayed in England, he would have been very much on his way to breaking that Alan Shearer record. I understand it, but just leave it. You haven't got to come for him, have you?"

About Owen's comparisons with Rooney, Foster said:

"There were a lot of things coming out of that interview, like the comparisons with Wayne Rooney and who was the best at 17 years old. He (Owen) was like nothing you've ever seen before. Don't get me wrong, Wayne Rooney was an absolute beast, but numbers-wise, Michael Owen was on a different planet."

"The only difference is that Wayne Rooney, though, went on and did that in the Premier League for another 12, 13 or 14 years. There's not much modesty there [from Owen] basically. I think with the career that he's had, just enjoy it mate, you've earned it."

Owen scored 223 goals in 483 club games for the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. Meanwhile, Rooney is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals and 142 assists in 559 games.

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Harry Kane responds to former Manchester United striker Michael Owen's comments

Harry Kane came through Tottenham Hotspur's academy and became their all-time top scorer with 280 goals and 63 assists in 435 games. He has also scored 213 goals in the Premier League and sits just 47 goals behind Alan Shearer at the top of the chart.

Michael Owen believes Kane should have stayed at Spurs and gone for Shearer's record. However, the England captain has responded to the former Manchester United striker, saying (via ESPN):

"I heard it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I've spent a bit of time with him [Owen] but don't know him well. Obviously he is a Premier League great and an England great as well so I'll respect him as a person. But ultimately, as he will know, everyone's career is different -- everyone's decisions and motivations are different."

"I know he was insinuating I went just for the trophy but it was to be at the highest level for as long as possible and I'm really happy in that sense of playing big games, title runs, big Champions League matches, Club World Cup quarterfinal. I feel I'm improving as a player, I'm pushing my limits as a player in terms of goalscoring and just improving. It's hard not to hear things these days but the decisions are best for me and I'm really happy that I made that decision and very happy at Bayern Munich now."

Kane has scored 91 goals and provided 28 assists in 100 games for Bayern, winning the Bundesliga and the Franz Beckenbauer SuperCup.