The Anfield striker was himself just eighteen when he first showcased his mercurial talents on the international stage with two goals, including a memorable virtuoso strike against Argentina, in France 98 and he feels Rooney is capable of making a similar impact in the forthcoming European Championships.
Owen said: "Let's hope so. We all hope he's that sort of player who does things like that.
"Some players are just lucky and do rise to the occasion. It's a bit of an unknown with Wayne because we've never seen him play outside the Premiership, apart from a few qualifiers for England.
"But the early indications from the games he's played in so far are that he does like to score spectacular goals. Let's hope he can do it as well in the big games.
"He can be anything he wants. It's up to him how he wants his career to pan out and how much he's willing to sacrifice everything else."