Former England international Emile Heskey has offered an interesting comparison between Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and former Liverpool teammate Michael Owen, giving both legendary forwards plenty of credit while explaining why he would narrowly favor Owen at his peak.
Heskey, now 48, enjoyed a distinguished playing career as a striker with Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, and Aston Villa. He also earned 62 caps for England, scoring seven goals, and played alongside
Owen for both Liverpool and the national team. He knows firsthand what made the former Ballon d’Or winner such a dangerous opponent.
When asked to compare Kane and Owen, Heskey acknowledged that Kane’s statistics make an extremely compelling argument, but his personal experience playing alongside Owen gives the former Liverpool striker a slight edge in a hypothetical comparison of their respective primes.
“Harry Kane or Michael Owen? Do you know what? The stats speak for themselves, so I’d put Kane up there. But if I was to put Michael in his prime against Kane in his prime, it’s difficult to separate them. I would probably sway more towards Michael because I played with him, and the way that he played, he was just dangerous in a different way,” Heskey told Eldorado. “With Kane, I don’t think anyone thinks, ‘God, I’m up against Kane and he’s going to do this to me, do that to me.’ They’re thinking he is going to score a goal today, and I’m going to try and figure out how to stop him doing that, and you might not be able to stop him, because he only needs a fraction of a second to get a shot off and get that goal.
“Michael, on the other hand, would take you on, drag you in, do all sorts to you as a defender, and Kane won’t really do that, but his finishing… I’d still put him up there as the best.”
Heskey also addressed the significance of Owen winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001 compared to Kane’s achievement in 2025. Owen was just 21 years old when he became the last Englishman to win the prestigious individual award before Kane ended that drought.
“Michael Owen doesn’t get the credit he deserves for winning the Ballon d’Or, but the way Harry Kane has won it is an even greater achievement,” said Heskey. “It was a little bit different when Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or because it wasn’t a huge thing for us in England back when he won it, to be honest with you. When he won, it wasn’t massive for us. It’s only now when you look back and see who else has won it that it hits you.
“We played against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup, and they had Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká on the bench. They had four Ballon d’Or winners! It wasn’t until later on that you’re left thinking, ‘OK, this is crazy. This is actually amazing what Michael was able to achieve.'”
Despite acknowledging Owen’s remarkable accomplishment, Heskey believes Kane deserves even greater appreciation for winning the award in his 30s, particularly given football’s tendency to write off players as they get older.
“I think you’ve got to take your hat off to Kane. When Michael did it, Michael was 20 or 21, whereas Kane has done it in his 30s, and you’ve got to remember, there’s this ageism within football. Anyone over a certain age can no longer do it, but players like Kane have shown us time and time again,” Heskey stated. “Even now, we’re already talking about who’s next for Kane; we’re already retiring him! Really, we should just be lauding everything that he’s done, and everything he is still to do.”
It is a fair point from Heskey. Kane has already established himself among the greatest strikers of his generation, and his Ballon d’Or triumph proved that elite individual recognition does not have an expiration date. Rather than constantly wondering how much longer he can maintain this level, perhaps football should spend more time appreciating what he is still producing.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
