Michael Owen has told British magazine “442” that he did not receive the recognition that usually comes with winning the Ballon d’Or in 2001.

Owen won the Ballon d’Or at the age of 22, after an extraordinary season with Liverpool in which the club won a cup treble: the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup.

2001 was also the year Owen scored a hat-trick in England’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Germany. The match, played in Munich, cemented his reputation as England’s most lethal striker.

To win the highest individual honor in football, Owen beat a field of stars that included Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Raúl, Rivaldo, England team-mate David Beckham and Luís Figo.

Owen said: “I don’t think I got the recognition I should have got when I won the Ballon d’Or. In our country, the Ballon d’Or was never that important. When I was in Spain, they called me a hero for winning it. I am incredibly proud to have received this honor.

“I look back at the list of winners, and I still have it saved on my phone: a picture of the points table, showing who finished second, third, fourth and so on.

“When you look at that list, it’s amazing. It’s what I always dreamed of as a child. I didn’t just want to be a footballer; I wanted to be the best footballer. Looking back now, I appreciate winning the Ballon d’Or even more than I did when I was playing. Back then, you were 22, it felt like just another trophy, and you were only thinking about winning it again.”

When Owen won the award, the Ballon d’Or had not yet reached the prominence it would later have in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. From the late 2000s into the 2010s, the two players competed for the award almost every season, and football fans worldwide followed their rivalry for the title of the world’s best player.

To this day, Owen remains the last Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or while at the club.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed Samson Adamu as its substantive general secretary.

The decision comes months after he was initially named interim placeholder for the role in March, after Veron Mosengo-Omba, a Swiss-Congolese official, resigned.

Adamu becomes the first Nigerian to hold the post since CAF was founded in 1957.

The 40-year-old, who previously served as CAF’s Director of Competitions, takes over the administrative helm of African football’s governing body following approval by the executive committee.

With extensive experience in sports governance, Adamu has played a key role in organising major continental competitions, including the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and CAF Champions League.

As general secretary, Adamu will fill a role widely considered the “engine room” of African football, responsible for the body’s day-to-day administration, legal matters, and implementing decisions made by the executive committee.

Adamu holds a FIFA Master in management, law and humanities of sport. He began his journey in football administration by establishing the now-defunct Copa Lagos beach tournament in the early 2010s.

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has diminished the importance of Carabao Cup to his side, describing the EFL Cup as the club’s “least important competition” .

after their penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool.

Alonso’s Chelsea were eliminated in the fourth round after losing 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, with Wesley Fofana missing the decisive spot-kick at Anfield on Thursday

Morgan Rogers had given visiting Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot before Cody Gakpo equalised with another penalty, sending the contest to a shootout.

Despite the disappointment, Alonso played down the significance of the defeat as Chelsea turn their attention to Saturday’s Premier League showdown with rivals Manchester United.

“It’s a small setback in this competition,” former Liverpool star Alonso said in an interview.

Chelsea currently occupies the fifth position on the Premier League table and eight points off the pace.

“It’s probably the least important competition for us in the year, so we need to move on.

“ Our focus is Saturday’s Premier League [game]. This is the main and the most important thing.” Alonso said.

He however, insisted there were positives to take from Chelsea’s performance despite suffering a second consecutive defeat following their loss to Tottenham.

“We showed an improvement, I would say. That’s what we wanted. We played with courage,” he said.

“The game was really close.”