MICHAEL OWEN RANKS SHEARER FOURTH IN PREMIER LEAGUE STRIKERS

Michael Owen has ranked Alan Shearer fourth in a list of the greatest Premier League strikers of all time, placing Thierry Henry above his former teammate. Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2001, was asked by SPORTbible to rank the best centre-forwards in the competition's history. The ranking comes despite Shearer holding the Premier League's all-time goalscoring record with 260 goals, nearly 50 more than any other player since the league's inception in 1992.

Owen and Shearer have not spoken since 2019, following a dispute that originated during the 2008-09 season when Shearer managed Newcastle. The pair have offered conflicting accounts of an incident at Aston Villa on the final day of that season, when Owen allegedly told his manager he was not fit enough to play. The two were teammates at both club and international level before their relationship deteriorated. Owen has cited injuries as a factor that may have affected his career trajectory, noting that his spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City followed his departure from Liverpool.

Owen remains the only striker in Premier League history to win the Ballon d'Or, a distinction he achieved in 2001 whilst at Liverpool. Henry topped Owen's ranking of the greatest Premier League forwards. Owen's placement of Shearer in fourth position reflects the continued tension between the former teammates, who maintain different perspectives on events from more than a decade ago.