By WILL GOVE
Published: | Updated:
Michael Owen was involved in an awkward exchange at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London last night – with a questioner who appeared not to know the former England striker is a previous winner of the award.
The ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid star was stopped on his way to the ceremony by a journalist, who proceeded to baffle him by asking: 'What was the best standing in the Ballon d'Or when you were active?'
Owen hesitated before saying, 'Well I won it in 2001.'
The now floundering journalist, who was reporting for Norwegian channel TV2 Sport, attempted to salvage the exchange by quickly muttering, 'you did right.'
Owen was the last Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or until last night when Three Lions skipper Harry Kane lifted the trophy at the London Palladium.
Owen won the award at the age of 23, beating likes of Raul, Oliver Kahn and David Beckham to win the accolade and become the fourth Englishman to be crowned the world's best player.
Owen attended the awards last night where he saw Harry Kane follow in his footsteps as an English winner
Until last night Michael Owen was the last Englishman to be awarded the Ballon d'Or, winning it in 2001
The striker won the gong off the back of a stellar season with Liverpool in which he netted 24 goals and registered eight assists in 46 appearances across all competitions and lifting the UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA Cup.
He then added a Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup to his trophy haul in the following summer, helping to make the Reds the first English side to win five major trophies in a calendar year.
Owen has previously admitted that he was unaware of the magnitude of his achievement until he moved to Spain in 2004. Speaking to talkSPORT in 2023, Owen said: 'When Gerard Houllier phoned me and said, "You’ve won the Ballon d’Or", I’m like "What’s that, gaffer?"
'I didn’t know what the award was. I never did because I never even knew what it was. Back in those days it was never in our press.'
'When I played for Real Madrid, it’s like an MBE, it follows you. Whenever they mention your name it’s Ballon d’Or winner.
'Abroad it is so big, and it’s only just cottoned on here for the last five or ten years.It’s so much bigger in other countries, in foreign countries. It quickly sunk in how big it was."