Michael Owen Named England Icon He'd Want Over Zinedine Zidane in 'Game of His Life'

· GiveMeSport

Michael Owen named the England and Liverpool icon he'd want over Zinedine Zidane in the 'game of his life'.

True football legend Zinedine Zidane is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time , having enjoyed a highly decorated career at both club and international level.

Renowned for his elegance, vision and creativity, the Real Madrid and France icon was arguably the finest passer of his generation and stood out for his ability to control matches and open up defences with remarkable technique.

A one-time Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner (both in 1998), Zidane was once praised by his former Real Madrid teammate Michael Owen as the best player the former England international had ever shared a dressing room with.

However, Owen admitted that for a game of his life, he would select another former teammate ahead of Zidane, explaining that this player’s strength, passing range and goalscoring threat made him the ideal choice when everything was at stake.

Owen, speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast , said he would choose his former Liverpool and England teammate Steven Gerrard over Zidane for ‘the biggest game of his life’:

> “The best player I ever played with was Zidane. Elegance, just a ballerina, just a ballerina, just beautiful, just incredible, just everything that he did was unbelievable.

> “But if you said to me, ‘You’re going to war now, you’re playing in the biggest game of your life tomorrow, who do you want alongside you?’ I mean, Stevie was everything.

> “He’s just too big, too strong, he’s the best passer of the ball you could imagine. I mean, we all talk about Scholes and Becks, you know, great passers of the ball – Stevie’s passing was incredible. I mean, his goalscoring, his vision.”

Michael Owen played with some of the greatest players of his generation, but three stand out above the rest

Owen and Gerrard both came through Liverpool’s academy during the late 1990s and were teammates at Anfield between 1998 and 2004, before Owen moved to Real Madrid.

They were influential figures under Gerard Houllier during Liverpool’s memorable 2000/01 campaign, when the Reds secured the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

For both club and country, Owen and Gerrard featured in 228 matches together, including at two major international tournaments: Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Gerrard is third among Liverpool players for most appearances (710), behind Ian Callaghan and Jamie Carragher.

Gerrard, who spent almost his entire 20-year senior career at Liverpool, established himself as one of the finest midfielders of his generation during his time at Anfield.

He became an emblem of the club’s determination and leadership, captaining Liverpool for much of his career and helping the Reds claim a wide range of domestic and continental honours.

Gerrard’s impact was central to some of Liverpool’s most unforgettable moments, including the dramatic 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul , where he played a key role in the stunning comeback against AC Milan.

Gerrard won a total of nine major titles during his 18-year stint at Anfield before leaving Merseyside for a brief spell with MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy in 2015.

He spent almost two seasons in the United States, making 39 appearances and recording 20 goal contributions, before retiring from professional football in January 2017.

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