“He has got the ability to embarrass you” - Michael Owen snubs Haaland and Lewandowski as he names another no.9 as best player in the world

Liverpool icon Michael Owen has snubbed Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski as the best player in the world. He gave Kylian Mbappe the tag instead, claiming that he can produce results in big games.

Haaland and Lewandowski have been two of the best strikers in recent years. While the latter is 37 and in the twilight of his career, he is still a key player for Barcelona. Meanwhile, the Norwegian is 25 and has been displaying his prowess for Manchester City.

In an appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Michael Owen was asked to pick the best No. 9 in the world. He answered:

“Well, is Mbappe a no.9? To me, he’s the best [player] in the world. There are efficient centre-forwards, we spoke about Kane, Lewandowski, Haaland, they’re never going to let you down and will always score plenty of goals. But in big games, Mbappe can take the game away from someone.

“If you’re a centre-half, I don’t think you’re losing sleep if you’re going to mark any of the others I mentioned. But he [Mbappe] has got the ability to embarrass you. He’s raw pace, can finish and can take the game away from you."

Kylian Mbappe has played in multiple positions in his career, but has mostly operated as No. 9 since joining Real Madrid in 2024. He has scored 47 goals and provided five assists in 62 games for Los Blancos.

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A look at Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski's club numbers

FC Barcelona v Manchester City - Friendly Match (Image Source: Getty)

While both strikers are at different ends of their respective careers, their numbers are arguably equally impressive. Robert Lewandowski joined Polish side Znicz Pruszków from Legia II in 2006. He recorded 21 goals and one assist in 32 senior games for them before moving to Lech Poznan in 2008. Here, he scored 41 goals and assisted 19 more in 82 games.

He then joined Borussia Dortmund in 2010, and this is when he got world recognition. Lewandowski registered 103 goals and 42 assists in 187 games for them, helping them win a Bundesliga title. He then joined Bayern Munich in 2014 and contributed 344 goals and 73 assists in 375 games before moving to Barcelona in 2022. Since then, he's scored 101 goals and provided 20 assists in 149 games.

Erling Haaland, meanwhile, first came to the fore at Molde, recording 20 goals and six assists in 50 senior games before joining Red Bull Salzburg in 2019. He contributed 29 goals and seven assists in 27 games before joining Borussia Dortmund the following year.

For the German giants, Haaland registered 86 goals and 23 assists in 89 games across competitions. He then joined Manchester City in 2022 and has since recorded 127 goals and 21 assists in 149 games.