Michael Owen's surprising take on Usyk: Fans expected knockout
Oleksandr Usyk in the legends football match (photo: instagram.com/legendscharitygame)
Oleksandr Usyk in Lisbon took part in the Legends Charity Match, where stars of world football gathered. After the game, the famous striker of the England national team and Liverpool, Michael Owen, shared his impressions and told what exactly surprised him about the Ukrainian, reports British Boxing News.
What Owen said about Usyk
Michael Owen, who himself scored against the Portuguese, did not hide his admiration for Usyk's presence on the football field.
"It was fascinating to see Oleksandr Usyk on the sideline doing his warm-ups. He was shadow boxing. We were thinking he was going to go and knock somebody out, that would have been funny! It was great to have him at the Legends Charity Game, what an icon, and an honour to share the pitch with him. Thankfully, we were only sharing a pitch and not the ring!" he joked.
Owen added that he greatly values the opportunity to play with such legends as Usyk and that such matches, which take place only a few times a year, are special.
"I’ve been very fortunate, as many of us have been in our careers, to play with some great players. And when I saw the line-up for the Legends Charity Game, I told myself I had to be here, to play with some of these great players and against them," said the former England striker.
Michael Owen and Oleksandr Usyk during the charity match (photo: instagram.com/themichaelowen)
Match details and star players
The charity Legends Charity Game gathered a true "star-studded line-up" on the field of the Estádio da Luz in the Portuguese capital.
The World Legends team faced the Portugal Legends team, captained by Luís Figo himself.
Alongside Usyk and Owen, the world legends lineup featured such football icons as Kaká, John Terry, Alessandro Del Piero, Carles Puyol, Hristo Stoichkov, and others.
The Portuguese team, which included former stars of the national team, won with a score of 4:1.
Charitable purpose
The match was held for charitable purposes. All funds raised go to the Portuguese Red Cross, Caritas, International Alert, and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, which help people affected by wars and conflicts.
The organizers of the match, including Sport Global's CEO, Rasmus Soejmark, expressed gratitude to the players and fans for their support. The goal is to hold such events annually so that they become part of the preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.
Earlier, we wrote that Usyk lost first place in the updated P4P ranking.
