Steven Gerrard believes former Liverpool team-mate Michael Owen was a better player as a teenager than Lamine Yamal or Kylian Mbappe. 

Gerrard's comments come after Yamal and Mbappe were both shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or, with the Barcelona winger tipped to land football's top individual prize. 

In 2024-25, Yamal plundered 18 goals and registered 21 assists for Hansi Flick's side, who won LaLiga, the Supercopa de Espana and the Copa del Rey. 

The 18-year-old also completed more dribbles (244) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, but Mbappe also impressed in his debut season for Madrid. 

The Frenchman became the highest-scoring Madrid player in their maiden campaign, surpassing Ivan Zamorano's record of 37 goals from 1992-93 as he found the back of the net 43 times for Los Blancos in all competitions. 

Indeed, only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (57), Barcelona's Raphinha (56) and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (49) registered more goal contributions than Mbappe (48) across all competitions last term, among players in the top five European leagues. 

However, Gerrard, who finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 2005, believes that Owen was a much better player than Yamal and Mbappe in his teenage years. 

The pair played at Liverpool for six years before Owen departed for Real Madrid. During that time, the striker lifted the prestigious individual accolade in 2001. 

Owen finished above Madrid legend Raul and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn to become the fourth Englishman to win the Ballon d'Or, after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan. 

He made his debut as a 17-year-old in 1996 and has scored the most goals by a teenager in Premier League history, netting 40 times in 79 matches before turning 20. 

Owen also holds the record for the most Premier League goals scored by a teenager in a single calendar year, thanks to the 25 he managed in 1998.

In the season when Owen won the Ballon d'Or, he recorded 31 goal contributions (24 goals, seven assists) as Liverpool won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and EFL Cup. 

"Well, the other two are chasing the Ballon d'Or and one's got one," Gerrard told ESPN. 

"So I think you'd have to respect the fact that Michael Owen has been voted the best player in the world. I played with him. He was an incredible teenager.

"So I'd have to say Michael Owen [as the best]. But what I would say is: Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, wow, they're two incredible players."