Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne has once again admitted that former Liverpool star Michael Owen was his footballing idol as a kid.
The ex- Liverpool forward won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 at the age of 22 after a phenomenal campaign for the Reds where he scored 25 goals, including an unforgettable brace in the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
That campaign was a five-trophy haul for Owen, with the FA Cup followed by the League Cup, UEFA Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup.
Owen then completed a move to Real Madrid in 2004 before returning to English football with Newcastle United but injuries took their toll on the rest of his career.
His early success with Liverpool was enough to capture the mind of a certain De Bruyne though, who idolised Owen in Belgium growing up.
“When I was really young, it was Michael Owen (he looked up to)," De Bruyne said as he was presented with UEFA's Midfielder of the Year away for the 2019/20 season on Thursday.
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"I was playing as a striker, so we were fairly similar at the time. But then I got slightly older, and I grew a little bit, so I became more of a midfielder.
"Since then, I really haven't looked at football in that way, I just love the game. There’s not one individual anymore that I really admire, it’s just the way I like football as a concept.”
Liverpool were drawn against Ajax, Atalanta andFC Midtjylland in Group D.
