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
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.
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Player | Childhood idols |
|---|---|
Michail Antonio | Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Ian Wright |
Virgil van Dijk | Ronaldinho |
Heung-Min Son | Ji-Sung Park |
Allan Saint-Maximin | Robinho |
Emile Smith Rowe | Dennis Bergkamp |
Phil Foden | David Silva |
Reece James | Didier Drogba |
Trent Alexander-Arnold | Steven Gerrard |
Bruno Fernandes | Ronaldinho |
Jamie Vardy | David Hirst |
Riyad Mahrez | Lionel Messi |
Kalvin Phillips | Zinedine Zidane |
Mohamed Salah | Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Francesco Totti |
John McGinn | Henrik Larsson |
Jadon Sancho | Ronaldinho |
Kasper Schmeichel | Eric Cantona |
Kevin De Bruyne | Michael Owen |
Sadio Mane | Ronaldinho |
Conor Gallagher | Frank Lampard |
Tomas Soucek | Cesc Fabregas |
Mason Mount | Frank Lampard, Luka Modric, Xavi, Andres Iniesta |
Scott McTominay | Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi |
Declan Rice | John Terry |
Kieran Tierney | Henrik Larsson |
Hugo Lloris | Zinedine Zidane |
Wilfried Zaha | Ronaldinho |