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Michael Owen Beat Ridiculously-Talented List To Win 2001 Ballon d'Or, Put Some Respect On His Name

Michael Owen Beat Ridiculously-Talented List To Win 2001 Ballon d'Or, Put Some Respect On His Name

Michael Owen beat some serious players to win the Ballon d'Or award.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

​Michael Owen beat a host of world class superstars to win the coveted Ballon d'Or in 2001. 

Owen, who was playing for Liverpool at the time, won the prestigious individual prize, aged just 22. 

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

He collected an impressive 176 points, 36 more points than second-placed Raul and 62 points more than third-placed Oliver Kahn.

And in claiming the 2001 Ballon d'Or, Owen beat a who's who of football royalty to win the award. 

Image: via Ballon d'Or
Image: via Ballon d'Or

We're talking French duo Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane as well as Rivaldo and Luis Figo. 

Not to mention fellow countryman David Beckham and then-teammate Steven Gerrard. 

Check out the full 2001 Ballon d'Or rankings below:

=25 - Rui Costa

=25 - Steven Gerrard​

​=25 - Roberto Baggio 

=18 - Ebbe Sand 

=18 - Emmanuel Olisadebe​

=18 - ​Sami Hyypia

=18 - Damiano Tommasi​

=18 - Roberto Carlos​

=18 - Gaizka Mendieta

=18 - Giovane Elber​

=16 - Hernan Crespo

=16 - Juan Sebastian Veron 

=14 - Alessandro Nesta​

=14 - Henrik Larsson

13 - Stefan Effenberg​

12 - David Trezeguet

11 - Bixente Lizarazu​

=9 - Zinedine Zidane

=9 - Thierry Henry 

8 - Andriy Shevchenko​

7 - Rivaldo 

6 - Luis Figo 

5 - Francesco Totti 

4 - David Beckham 

3 - Oliver Kahn

2 - Raul

1 - Michael Owen

An insane list. You have to give credit to Owen, who doesn't necessarily​ get the credit and respect he deserves. 

In winning the Ballon d'Or, ​Owen became just the fourth English player to win the award after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan. 

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Ballon d'Or

Topics: Football, Michael Owen

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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@NasJabbar