Watch: De Bruyne stuns interviewer as Man City star picks Michael Owen as his favourite player growing up

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne shocked his interviewer as he surprisingly named former Liverpool striker Michael Owen as his footballing idol when growing up.

Watch: Premier League stars name their childhood idols

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩? 😍

• Recreating goals in the garden
• Name on the back of the shirt
• Highlights on repeat

We asked some of the Premier League's biggest stars who inspired them in football... pic.twitter.com/5SFqDJRSPZ

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 11, 2022

Why did De Bruyne idolise Michael Owen?

The Belgian midfielder was clearly fond of the striker's goalscoring ability, citing his iconic effort against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup as the standout moment.

De Bruyne would have been seven years old at the time that Owen scored that goal, telling BT Sport when asked who his childhood idol was: "Michael Owen. When I was young, it was Michael.

The interviewer replies, in disbelief: "Owen? Really? [You're the] first one who said that! Everyone says Ronaldinho, literally everyone!"

Who did other Premier League stars idolise?

Barcelona legend Ronaldinho was named by many of the Premier League stars that were asked the question, with France great Zinedine Zidane also featuring prominently.

Further reading

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