Michael Owen’s post-football career has been defined by a blend of media work, business ventures and a deepening commitment to horse racing, where he has become both an owner and a high-profile ambassador for the sport. Since hanging up his boots in 2013, he has steadily built a portfolio life that keeps him close to football while allowing him to indulge lifelong interests away from the pitch.
Leaving the pitch behind
When Owen announced that he would retire at the end of the 2012–13 season, it marked the end of a top-level career that had begun at Liverpool and taken him to Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City. He finished with 40 goals in 89 England caps, at that point ranking among the country’s most prolific international scorers.
The transition, however, was not emotionally straightforward. In later interviews reflecting on turning 40, Owen described an initial sense of “emptiness” after retirement, speaking about the difficulty of no longer training every day and no longer feeling “special” in the way he had as an elite footballer. He has also acknowledged that those early years brought strain in his personal life, as he adapted to a radically different routine and identity away from the game.
A new voice in football media
One of Owen’s first major moves after retirement was into broadcasting, where he quickly became a regular pundit and co-commentator on live football. He joined the ecosystem of Premier League coverage produced for global audiences, working as a lead studio pundit on Premier League Productions shows such as “Extra Time” and “The Saturday Wrap,” where he offered analysis of matches and storylines from the English top flight.
Owen’s broadcasting style has often divided opinion, with some viewers questioning the delivery of his on-air observations while others value the perspective of a Ballon d’Or-winning former striker. Regardless of reception, his presence on these shows has kept him closely associated with the modern Premier League era, ensuring his name and views remain part of the weekly football conversation.
Books, branding and business interests
Beyond live broadcasting, Owen has been active in shaping his post-retirement image through books and commercial partnerships. His book “Michael Owen Reboot,” for example, revisits the highs and lows of his playing career and the psychological challenges that followed, offering a more candid look at fame, injuries and the abrupt cliff edge that retirement can represent for professional athletes.
He has also spent years cultivating “Michael Owen the brand,” a concept that dates back to his later playing days when his off-field image and commercial appeal were carefully packaged and promoted. This branding has extended into sponsorships, ambassadorial roles and corporate appearances, positioning Owen as a recognisable and marketable figure in football-related business and beyond.
Deep ties to horse racing
If football made Owen famous, horse racing has arguably become his defining passion in retirement. Long before he stopped playing, he had begun investing in racehorses, and since leaving the pitch he has emerged as a racehorse owner, breeder and a prominent enthusiast for the sport in Britain.
The most tangible expression of this passion is Manor House Stables, a thoroughbred racing operation in Cheshire that Owen and his wife Louise converted from a cattle barn and launched as a training yard in 2007. The stables, which he owns in partnership with entrepreneur Andrew Black, began with around 30 horses in training and have grown into a significant base now occupied by Classic-winning trainer Hugo Palmer, giving Owen a direct stake in the competitive heart of British flat racing.
Manor House Stables and ownership stakes
Manor House Stables is more than a hobby project; it is a serious racing establishment that Owen has consistently sought to develop and expand. Over the past decade and a half, the yard has been upgraded with modern training facilities and has grown its capacity and profile, with Palmer saddling dozens of winners in a season and regularly accruing close to seven figures in prize money.
Owen remains closely involved as an owner and host, often welcoming fellow owners, many of them with football backgrounds, to the stables. The yard has attracted a “sprinkling of football ownership,” as he has put it, with figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Steve McManaman and even members of the Burnley squad taking shares in horses trained at Manor House, creating a competitive social scene that bridges his two sporting worlds.
Syndicates, fan engagement and racing lifestyle
His racing interests extend beyond private ownership into syndicate-based models that allow smaller investors and fans to participate in the experience. Partnerships built around horses stabled with Hugo Palmer at Manor House sometimes offer members the chance to spend mornings on the gallops with Owen, attend race meetings in his company and enjoy the facilities at the yard, effectively turning his racing venture into an interactive lifestyle brand.
Through these syndicates and his public profile, Owen has become an informal ambassador for horse racing, promoting the sport as accessible and aspirational to a broader audience. Fans of his and of racing who use TwinSpires for horseracing bets will know how he frequently speaks about his continued passion for the game, emphasising that after more than 15 years of involvement he remains as committed as ever to improving the quality of horses, facilities and ownership experience at Manor House Stables.
Balancing football legacy and new passions
In the years since retirement, Owen has gradually achieved a balance between his legacy as a former England and Liverpool star and his new identity as media pundit and racehorse owner. Television keeps him connected to the weekly rhythm of football, while his racing commitments provide a different kind of competitive outlet, grounded in breeding decisions, training regimes and long-term planning rather than the instant drama of a 90-minute match.
He has also used his experiences to speak more openly about the psychological realities of leaving elite sport, encouraging greater awareness of how players can prepare for life after the final whistle. In doing so, Owen’s post-football career has evolved into a multifaceted second act, built on media work, business ventures and a profound engagement with horse racing that shows no sign of diminishing.
