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Featured Image Credit: Image: PA
Topics: England, Michael Owen, David Beckham
Josh Lawless
Sven-Goran Eriksson was surprised by who Queen Elizabeth II revealed as her favourite footballer during a special lunch.
The Swede was in charge of England for five years between 2001 and 2006 - managing a squad that was dubbed 'the Golden Generation'.
During his tenure Eriksson ended up attending a royal reception with the Queen and she told him that she was a big fan of Michael Owen.
The well-travelled manager was expecting Her Majesty to pick out David Beckham given he was the captain and biggest star.
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But instead, the British monarch very much liked Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 after a stellar year for Liverpool.
Speaking on the 'Sacked in the Morning' podcast, Eriksson said: "I was invited to lunch with The Queen with about another 10 people. At a certain point, I asked her if she liked football. She said not really.
"I asked her for her favourite player or team. I thought she would've said Beckham. 'Michael Owen is my favourite player,' she said. I asked why and she said: 'He looks so clean'. That was the answer I got and we didn't go on with that discussion."
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Owen scorer that memorable solo goal against Argentina in 1998 and found the net in 89 appearances for his country.
His final strike came against Russia in a Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley in 2007.
It had been reported that the Queen was a West Ham fan - something that shocked Buckingham Palace staff in 2009.
The Daily Mirror were under the impression that her admiration dated back to when the Hammers were managed by Ron Greenwood and won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964 and 1965 respectively.
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However, according to former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, as well as former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, the Queen is actually a fan of the Gunners.
Fabregas, who also played for Chelsea and Barcelona, claimed that she informed Arsenal players of her ‘true football allegiance’ during a 2007 reception in Buckingham Palace.
The 34-year-old Spaniard said: “It seems the Queen follows football and she told us she was an Arsenal fan.
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“She appeared to definitely know who I was and we exchanged a few special words.”