Video taking off 11x its usual first day

Michael Owen makes the case for VAR on Zac Djellab

The Ballon d'Or winner also defends old-school strikers, challenges the social-media argument and recalls his surprise at winning football's individual prize.

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Zac Djellab Story of October 20, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 144,156 views a day, 12 times a normal first day on this channel (12,570).

1 Ballon d'Or Winner V 20 Football Fans

Things we can learn from the video

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5:38Owen argues that tactical systems and academy coaching have reduced the supply of classic center forwards.
13:44Owen counters the social-media pressure argument by recalling the influence and aggression of newspapers during his career.
25:09Owen defends VAR as a safeguard against blatant errors and unsportsmanlike behavior, comparing its oversight to CCTV.
33:44The final debate asks whether individual ability or team trophies should determine the Ballon d'Or winner.
37:01Owen recalls not understanding the significance of the Ballon d'Or when told he had won.

The yellow cards aren't his. Michael Owen faces a room of football fans on Zac Djellab's debate show, where the audience can card participants out of the conversation.

"1 Ballon d'Or Winner V 20 Football Fans" drew roughly 110,000 views in its first 14 hours, putting it well ahead of the channel's usual opening pace. Owen joins a guest list that has already included John Terry and Jamie Carragher, but brings a particularly personal stake to the final question: what should the Ballon d'Or reward?

Before that comes VAR. A fan argues that video reviews drain football of its emotion and simplicity. Owen sees the oversight as protection against obvious mistakes and behavior that might otherwise go unpunished. "If you take VAR out now, we would have anarchy," he says.

His argument about strikers is less about nostalgia than tactics. Owen says the decline of two-striker formations has squeezed out the classic center forward, with academies producing fewer pure number nines. The comments pick up that comparison between eras, including whether improved nutrition and training necessarily make today's players better footballers.

On pressure, a fan points to the relentless scrutiny of social media. Owen counters with the power of newspapers during his playing career, recalling the backlash against David Beckham after the 1998 World Cup. The episode includes a sponsored mobile-game segment between debates.

When the discussion finally reaches the Ballon d'Or, Owen hopes Harry Kane will win it. His own reaction to being told he had won in 2001 was rather less grand: "When I got told you've won the Ballon d'Or, I was like, what's that?"

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What viewers say

A Roy Keane episode would be huge!
@OchetalkpodSee it on YouTube
Respect to everyone that shook his hand and introduced themselves
@Marky_GunnerSee it on YouTube
Owen's points on VAR being an invisible blanket is the best thing I've ever heard him say.
@seanohare7149See it on YouTube

3 more comments

Big up zac 👏 guests getting bigger and bigger
@reilovesfootySee it on YouTube
Thanks zac for this very good video!
@SPYRIDON-LIKE.AJACKSON.SONG...See it on YouTube
The game has evolved, it will keep evolving, things will keep changing, that's life
@allenjonesstyles6112See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube